Leviathan
by DelayedInspiration
Summary: In a final act of revenge, Kronos hurls Percy through time and space. Bereft of his age, memories, and Achilles Curse, Percy becomes the Number 1 Claymore. But like all Claymores...he Awakens. Now the Giant War is coming and Hera is missing her champion. When the Olympians finally find him, though...he isn't exactly the same. Awakened!Percy, Godlike!Percy, Insane!Percy.
1. Chapter 1

_Awakened Being_

 _ **Now I know what you're all thinking, 'Dammit, he's already working on two stories, now he's cranking out a third!?'**_

 _ **Well, I was watching some anime with my dad, and this idea struck me like lightning…what if Percy…became an ABYSSAL ONE!?**_

 _ **Realizing I would lose steam on this idea if I didn't capitalize, I cranked out this chapter ASAP.**_

 _ **I really hope you all enjoy it, because things are going to get crazy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Claymore and all of its characters belong to Norihiro Yagi, and Percy Jackson and all of its characters belong to Rick Riordan.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Percy Jackson and his best friend, Annabeth Chase, were doing battle with the Titan Lord, Kronos…who was currently possessing the body of Luke Castellan, the Son of Hermes.

Through heartfelt words, the demigod duo were slowly cracking down Kronos, Luke's consciousness surfacing periodically, waring for control over his body with Titan of Time.

Eventually, Percy and Luke gained the upper hand against Kronos, the Son of Poseidon knocking the Titan's sword into the fires of the Hearth and the Son of Hermes gaining control over his body once more.

After realizing what the Great Prophecy meant, Percy gave Luke the Cursed Blade…Annabeth's knife. With it, Luke unlatched his armor, exposing his Achilles' heel. He promptly stabbed himself, ending the Second Titanomachy.

Unfortunately, in the nanoseconds between when Luke stabbed himself, and when Kronos fully dispersed, the Titan Lord gained enough consciousness to perform one last act of vengeance.

He hurled Perseus Jackson through time and space.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Percy POV_

One second I was staring into the glowing eyes of Kronos/Luke…then I flying through what looked like hyperspace from _Star Wars._

All round me was just a blur of blues, blacks, and whites. And did I mention it was freezing? Now, I lived in New York, it got pretty cold here in the winter, but this was an unnatural cold…like it was literally penetrating my body.

 _BZZZZT_

I howled in pain as an arc of electricity struck my body. Then something felt…strange. I looked at my hands. _Oh Gods they were smaller._

 _BZZZZT_

Another bolt struck me. My body got smaller again. What the Hades was happening!? Wait… _who was Hades?_

 _BZZZZT_

Lightning struck once more. How was I still alive? Everything Annabeth told me about lightning…who was Annabeth? That was such a pretty name.

 _BZZZZT_

I screamed, my bones lighting up like a Christmas tree. That hurts! Where was Mommy? I want to go home!

A bright light appeared behind me and I turned to look at it. It was so bright, it was like, like, the sun! Yeah…that's what it's called…the sun.

The light got brighter and brighter and even more brighter…then I fell into it.

 _What was my name again?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Organization's senior members stared at the child in shock.

They were currently having a meeting, discussing who the best candidates were for the flesh of the Yoma, when a flash of light blinded them all. After the flash, a young boy of about eight years was lying naked on the floor of their council chambers.

The boy had healthy tanned skin and hair the same color as their cloaks, and was currently sleeping.

The funny thing is, the boy had a faint, sea-green aura surrounding his body.

"Rimuto," spoke the Organization's leader, "Take the boy to the rooms. We'll finish this meeting later."

A young man in his early twenties, perhaps even late teens, with slicked back silver hair and a handsome face, dressed in a simple black cloak, stood and bowed to the leader. He picked up the child bridal style and exited the chamber.

If he had any qualms about carrying a naked little boy, he did not show it. Rimuto looked down at the sleeping child, his mind already making plans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dae."

Said man looked up from whatever he was working on.

"Ahh, Rimuto. How are you, my friend?"

The man regarded Dae. A lazy, yet depraved face. His eyes were hooded and split further apart that what was normal for human beings. His body was well built, yet hidden beneath a black cloak that covered the top of his head.

"I'm well. We've had a situation come up."

"Does it have to do with the boy in your arms?"

Rimuto smirked, "He appeared in the council chamber in a flash of light, his body faintly glowing green. I believe the council will use him for our research."

Dae chuckled, "This presents us with an opportunity. A flash of light? Glowing body? This child is obviously not your average human. It's been proven that the Claymore's spliced with Yoma flesh don't last long…but maybe this child could handle the life blood of the Asarakam."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Dae, we don't even know who or what this child is. There's always the possibility that this boy isn't even compatible with the Yoma."

"Nonsense, Rimuto," Dae waved him off, "This boy has potential…" the child stirred in Rimuto's arms, "…and a lot of it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Two years later_

Dae looked at his greatest achievement.

The boy didn't remember jack shit, other than that his name was 'Perseus.' Dae personally thought that it was a strong name. Regardless, one didn't train a Claymore by being 'soft.'

Perseus was currently strung up by chains in Dae's personal laboratory. Ready for another day of training. The Claymore Operation had been an instant success, his body accepting the Yoma flesh like a fish accepts water. As a result, his messy raven hair turned the color of straw, and became thin and flat, his once sea-green eyes became a startling silver that glowed in the darkness.

His regeneration was, without a doubt, his strongest attribute. It was strong enough that the typical stigmata became a thin line running from his neck to his abdomen. Dae made it his personal mission to find the limits of his regeneration.

Which is why we're here today.

Two years without cutting his hair had made it grow long, reaching his shoulders. Combine that with his thin, almost frail, frame, one could easily mistake Perseus for a pre-pubescent girl. The only thing covering his modesty were a number of bandages wrapping around him, almost like a skirt. Manacles kept his hands held high above his head, his feet barely touching the floor.

Dae's laboratory looked like a mix between a mad-scientist's lab and a torturer's chamber…both terms perfectly described Dae. Walking in through the door, the left side was occupied by a long table covered in test tubes, vials, and beakers, most of which were filled with a rainbow of colors. The right wall was occupied by a massive bookshelf, the shelves covered with jars containing liquids and organic masses best left untouched. The back wall also had a bookshelf, this one occupied by actual books.

The boy was suspended in the middle of the room, over a small hole in the floor, which was slanted ever so slightly toward the hole so gravity would do its do and take any liquid spilled down the pipe. The walls were made of jagged stone. In front of the boy, out of legs' reach, was a smaller table covered in surgical tools.

"Good morning, Perseus. How are you today? Did you sleep well?" Dae was met with a soul-piercing silver glare. The demented man chuckled. He walked over to his surgical table and picked up a scalpel…he promptly stabbed the child in the throat. Perseus barely flinched. Dae ripped the blade down, splitting open tender flesh and spilling precious blood.

Perseus barely sparred the man a grimace, his pain tolerance honed through _months_ of similar experiences.

The gaping cut steamed, the wound closing almost instantly, the blood evaporating. "As expected. But we've done this same song and dance for months now. Your body is extremely durable and adaptive, able to handle everything we've thrown at you. Blades, arrows, claws, teeth, poisons, even fire has had no lasting effect on your being." He walked over to his chemical table, and picked up a vile with green liquid in it. Vapor rose from the top.

Silver orbs followed the black-clad man closely.

Dae walked back over to Perseus, the vial held away from him at arm's length, "This concoction is one I made a few days ago. Its testing has yielded interesting results." He held his vial up to his face, gazing at it reverently, "It likes to eat things…even the flesh of a Yoma is on its menu." He glanced at the boy, "Let's see how it likes to _eat you!_ "

Perseus' reflexes were far faster than Dae's movements. The child's legs snapped straight up in an unbelievable show of flexibility. The acid vial was kicked out of Dae's hands, the liquid splashing on the chains holding the boy's arms up…and on Dae's face.

The man screamed in pain and stumbled out of the room, clutching his steaming face. The boy dropped soundlessly to the floor, his chains having been melted. Not that he couldn't have broken them by himself. According to Dae, he had the Yoki aura of a single digit Claymore, and could suppress it to the level of warrior in the forties. Unprecedented power, apparently.

What to do now? Meh.

Time to explore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few months later_

Perseus and Dae were traveling by horse-led covered wagon. Dae's face had been predictably screwed up by their little acid fun-bath. The skin around his eye and mouth had been melted off, exposing his teeth and eyeball, along with some hideous scar tissue.

Perseus had been 'punished' by the man. He had been force-fed Yoki supressors and injected with more drugs than what was humanly possible. The effect was that when Dae started torturing him again…it _really_ hurt. Enough to make him scream his throat raw and pass out on occasion.

Currently, experiment and scientist were travelling to an unknown location. The boy didn't like the sound of that. But the Claymores escorting him and Dae kept him from making a break for it. If they were concerned about what Dae was going to do Perseus, they did one hell of a job hiding it.

"So Dae…where are we going?" asked Perseus.

The scarred man glanced at the boy with his good eye, "We're going to a secluded location to perform one final test before you become an official Claymore."

Perseus looked behind him into the wagon, "Does it have anything to do with this giant lump of meat back here?" His question went unanswered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dae was almost giddy with excitement. They had finally made it to the spare lab in the southern part of the island where he was going to fuse Perseus with the Asarakam flesh. They went through all of this trouble because the council didn't want the boy destroying their headquarters if something went wrong.

Paranoid old fools. As if anything would go wrong with _him_ in control.

The lab was cut out of the inside of a mountain, so the walls were made were made of jagged stone and the floor was circular. The ceiling was some 100 meters up, the lab illuminated by glowing crystals. The lad was spacious, easily 200 feet in diameter, and equipped with all sorts of materials, specimens, and tools. But the only thing Dae cared about was the child chained down on the stone table next to lump of black meat.

Dae grabbed a scalpel-his favorite instrument- and made his way over to the disturbingly calm child. "Are you ready?" Dull green eyes glared at him, "I'm chained to a table with a month's supply of Mystery Meat next to me and Yoki suppressers running through my body…sure. Let's get this over with. I find your company annoying."

Dae twitched, _'Little bastard. Let's see how you like this!'_

He stabbed the scalpel just below the child's neck and ripped it downwards, tracing the stigmata scar, reopening the wound. Perseus screamed as pain flared through him, blood spilling out of his body. Dae smirked, madness clear in his eyes. He cut off a chunk of the Asarakam and held it above the panting child.

Drops of black blood fell into the boy's gaping wound. Perseus squirmed under the foreign feeling of it entering his body.

"With this!" Dae roared, "A new being is born!" He plunged the Asarakam essence into the child's body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Power. Pure, unadulterated _power_ flowed from the Perseus' body.

A spiraling pillar of sea-green Yoki had erupted like a volcano from the boy. The shock wave from the eruption had sent Dae careening into the wall, knocking the deformed man unconscious. The chains, made of Claymore steel, snapped instantly, the stone table was crushed to oblivion. Spider-web cracks arced out in all directions, travelling _up_ the mountains interior. Raging winds had blown everything inside the laboratory around like ragdolls, shattering and destroying everything.

The Claymores had rushed into the lab when they felt the eruption-they would've been shocked if their comrades all over the island hadn't felt it-and were promptly blown out the way they came. The raging Yoki was too much for them.

Perseus himself was screaming. Not from pain, but from lack of control. The effeminate-looking 'ten' year old's Yoki had shot to new hights. If his Yoki was ranked at Number 9, it could have been easily ranked at Number 1. It was so much, the child was having difficult trying to reign it back in.

At this rate, he was going to unintentionally Awaken.

That was something he didn't want.

Dae had told him what the fate of a Claymore was. They would be spliced with the flesh of a Yoma, sent into the field, continually use their aura to the point of no return, then they would Awaken and be hunted down and slaughtered like the animal they had become. That was a fate young Perseus was desperately trying to avoid at the moment.

"RAAAAAAAGH!" the future Claymore roared, eyes glowing gold, trying to put a leash on his out-of-control power. It felt like he was trying to plug up a dam.

' _No! I won't lose control! Not now! NOT EVER!'_

His Yoki spiraled higher, slamming into the top of the mountain. The walls began to crack, the luminescent crystals shattered into pieces. The entire mountain began to crumble under the Yoki's power.

The power of a demigod.

Then something within Perseus…snapped. Maybe he surpassed his limit. Maybe he lost the final shred of his humanity. Maybe it was his sanity that was finally lost. But something inside of him… _snapped._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few months later_

 _Three years since arrival_

 _Organization Headquarters_

 _Council Chambers_

The leader looked at the first generation of Claymore's since their arrival on this island. The Yoma parasite had flourished, and artificial Awakened Beings were roaming the island unchecked. The stage had been set…now to inspire the troops.

Standing before him were the top five most powerful Claymores of the First Generation. Dressed in white body suits, with silver spaulders, vambraces, faulds, and grieves for armor, their massive swords strapped to their backs, their silver eyes and straw colored hair were…

"Number 5, Chronos; Number 4, Dauf; Number 3, Rigaldo; Number 2, Isley; and Number 1, Perseus. You five have proven to be the most powerful warriors of this time, and you have been ranked proportionately. Your missions are simple: wipe out the Yoma hoards and protect the people of this land. You have the power to do so and I have _full_ confidence in your abilities.

"Now…go forth and be the divine sword of justice this land so desperately needs. But remember our cardinal rule: never kill a human being." They had to keep up the appearance that they were saviors, after all.

The warriors bowed before turning and leaving the chamber.

The Organization's leader all breathed a sigh of relief. While none of them were intimidated by the first four warriors, or their Yoki auras, it the first warrior, Perseus, that put them all on edge.

Dae's experiment hand been a success…partially. The boy held immense power. His speed, strength, regeneration, Yoki sensing, suppression, and manipulation were all on unbelievable level, but he was unhinged. The massive amount of demonic power coursing through his body had damaged his mind.

He had gone insane.

Not the raving madness kind (they would have put him down if that happened), but the disturbing child-like one. The one where after he slaughtered a group of Yoma after a training exercise, he played with their corpses like they were toys. When the trainers went in to clean up the mess, they were sick when they saw what Perseus was doing with the Yomas' limbs.

During the entire meeting, the dimunitive Number 1 had a face-splitting grin on the whole time. A strange glint in his silver eyes that the leader couldn't place.

"That boy…is not normal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _One year later_

A young child was skipping down a path. Trees lined the path, their canopies blocking the sun from fully illuminating the surrounding area. To any other person, it would have made for an eerie scene. Especially so considering that there were confirmed sightings of Yoma in these woods.

But the child wasn't scared.

Dressed in a skin-tight body suit the color of fresh snow, with polished silver armor on the shoulders, thighs, forearms, and legs, the child's lean, almost feminine, muscle tone was clearly displayed. A massive claymore dragged on the forest floor behind them. When looking at the child's face, you would have to question their gender. Delicate facial features, eyes the color of liquid mercury, and platinum blonde hair that neatly fell to their shoulders with bangs swept to the left, slightly obscuring the eye; the child looked like an angel.

The young Claymore came upon a group of people trying to fix a broken wagon. The back wheels had broken off, making the wagon drag across the dirt due to its load of giant pots. The horses seemed docile enough. There were two males, one in his late thirties, and the other in his late teens, and two females of approximately the same age. They were dressed in simple clothes.

The trap the Yoma had set was so pitifully obvious the Claymore wondered if they were asking to be slaughtered…well, they seemed to young bloods anyway.

"Greetings, stranger!" called out the 'father.'

"Hiya, mister!" the Claymore called cheerfully.

The 'family' seemed taken aback by the warrior's cheerfulness. Claymores weren't exactly known for being happy so that was kinda expected.

"You're one of them Claymores, right? The ones with the super-strength?" asked the 'son.'

The Claymore giggled. They were so much fun to play with! "Nope! I just found this stuff lying around and it just happened to fit me!"

The Yoma blinked, not sure how to respond to that answer.

"Just kidding. Yeah, I'm a Claymore. What do you need help with?" The 'family' had the most confounded looks on their faces. "Uhh…well, we have spare wheels, but I need to hammer them on and my son doesn't have the strength to lift the wagon by himself. We don't have time to unload and reload our effects or we would've done so ourselves."

The androgynous Claymore nodded, what they wanted was obvious. They wanted him to lift the wagon up for the 'father'…so the 'mother,' 'daughter,' and 'son' could kill him while he was distracted. Not a bad plan, trying to capitalize on the element of surprise. The Claymore couldn't wait to throw the proverbial monkey wrench into it.

The Silver-Eyed Witch gripped the back of the wagon and easily lifted it off the ground. The 'father' predictably got beneath it, hammer and nails in hand. The rest of the 'family' positioned themselves behind the wagon, ready to pounce.

"You know something, mister?" The 'man' hummed beneath the wagon. "You and your family are really good actors." The Claymore promptly dropped the wagon, its weight making the Yoma's head explode like a giant grape. Purple blood erupted everywhere. The 'family' shrieked in outrage, taking their true forms. Their clothes were shredded as their bodies became grotesquely muscular, their skin turning a dark shade of purple. Their ears became pointed, their hands became claws, their teeth became fangs, and their eyes turned a burning gold, their pupils becoming slits.

The Claymore grinned widely, his eyes closing. The Yoma screamed and charged at him, closing the distance between them instantly.

There was brief flash of light before the carnivorous creatures exploded into tiny pieces of purple matter. The child turned around and lifted one of the pots' lids. Blood and severed body parts stared up at him.

"Disgusting. You guys were no fun at all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Claymore was heading towards the rendezvous point with the Man in Black. Some back-water village had asked the Organization to handle the Yoma in the forest. Now that the job was finished, the Claymore was going to be given another mission.

Ugh. These arbitrary Yoma extermination missions were so _boring._ The Claymore guessed that was the problem with being the Number 1 warrior. There wasn't much that could challenge him.

"Hello, Perseus."

Said Claymore looked at the black-clad man sitting on top of a rock. They were in a hilly field covered in emerald grass, a soft wind blowing across the landscape. The man wore a full body robe hiding any distinguishing features other than his black eyes.

The Number 1 Claymore blinked, "What was your name, again?"

The Man in Black sighed, "My name is Ermata."

"Didn't you say you had a son or something?"

"Yes, I did say that."

"Wasn't his name, like, Ermada?"

"This is pointless banter. Your next assignment is in Toulouse. We have confirmed that warriors 12, 15, 17, 18, and 19 have awakened and are currently using a nearby town as a hideout. The Holy City of Rabona has requested that we take care of the threat. And by 'we' I mean 'you.'"

"Toulouse? Shouldn't Dauf, Rigaldo, and Isley be in the area? Why can't they handle it?"

"Those three are currently on assignment in Alfons. There was a surge in Yoma activity and they were sent to quell it."

Perseus looked at Ermata with a deadpan expression, "Well isn't that convenient." He scoffed, "Whatever. Five Awakened Beings all ranked in the teens? This is going to be _glorious,_ " the demented boy finished in a sing-song voice."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was night by the time Perseus arrived. The moon glowed overhead, a small chill in the air. Perfect for a good fight.

Humming a soft tune to himself, the Number 1 Claymore entered the abandoned little town. The main street was lined with beautiful green trees, a large number of quaint little buildings on either side. There were no people around, but the smell of blood was faint in the air. The super-Yoma had probably devoured everyone.

Perseus could sense the Yoki auras of his former comrades. They were doing a good job of suppressing them, but his senses had picked them up when he was about ten miles out. Perseus was the Organization's best sensor after all.

"I know where you all are!" the Number 1 called out, "Don't make drag you out of your hidey-holes!"

The effect was immediate. Five men blurred into existence, surrounding him a pentagonal formation. They were all still wearing their uniforms…which were covered in blood. The red kind. You could tell they were Awakened because their hair had gained color and their eyes were all different. Not the usual silver.

"Well, well, well," Number 12 spoke from in front, "If it isn't the Number 1 warrior, Perseus of the Wide Smile. Of all the warriors we expected those apes at the Organization to send after us, you were at the bottom. We honestly expected half the army to be here today, not just one little _girl_." The Awakened Beings chuckled at the emphasis on 'girl.'

It was a running gag between the Claymores. Everyone wanted to be at the top, wanted to hold the ranking of Number 1. Well, since Perseus currently held that title, he was the common center of ridicule among the ranks. His young, feminine appearance being the main form of ammunition.

It was okay, though. Perseus thought their jokes were funny.

The child folded his hands behind his head, and grinned like the Cheshire cat, his silver eyes closing, "What's funny is that this 'little girl' is currently ranked as Number 1, when none of you guys breached the single digits." Let it not be said that Perseus couldn't return fire. Typically, his response was variant forms of 'I'm Number 1 and you're not. Ha-ha-ha.'

The former-warriors all growled, their eyes turning gold…then their Yoki auras flared. Perseus blinked as the shockwaves slammed into him, the ground cratering beneath the force of the Awakenings. Their auras generated gale force winds, strong enough that the surrounding trees and close enough buildings were torn asunder.

Perseus watched with interest as the Claymores' forms began to distort and grow, each of them becoming monstrous humanoids. The Yoma had surrounded the Number 1 in a clockwise-rank formation, with Number 12 being directly in front, and Number 19 standing to his right.

Number 12 grew to a height of fifteen feet, his pale skin turning dirt brown. His muscles bulged and another pair of arms sprouted from his shoulders. His head lost its hair, becoming bald, and his teeth turned into rows of needle-like fangs.

Number 15 became a quadruped crocodile-like creature. 20 feet in length, scales ranging between dark brown and forest green, meaty legs that stood to a height of five feet, and number of spikes and spines lined the creatures back. Those most likely extended to act like tendrils.

Number 17 grew to about twelve feet. His skin turned a light grey, his head became covered in porcupine-ish needles. Bat-like wings erupted out of his back and arms got longer. His legs changed, becoming trunk-like, his feet elongating and losing his pinkie toes.

Number 18 underwent the most animalistic change. His body grew a height of twenty feet, his muscular body being covered in thick, brown fur. His legs became like those of a bull, his feet morphing into gigantic hooves. His face elongated into a snout, fangs lining his maw. From his head grew two curving ram horns that pulsed with Yoki. His hands were covered in fur and his nails became dagger-like claws.

Finally, Number 19. His skin became pale white, his arms and legs growing long, and spindly. His back became hunched, spikes covered the hump. His midsection split open vertically, his intestines falling out and becoming fleshy tendrils. His head lost all hair, and his lips and most of his teeth disappeared. A few needle-like teeth remained however.

Perseus whistled appreciatively. He was honestly impressed with the combined amount of Yoki the Awakened Beings were putting off. If he was honest with himself, their Yoki added up to be about…ehh, 30-ish percent of his own aura? Somewhere around that range.

There wouldn't be much of this abandoned village left after this battle.

" **So Perseus…how do you think you stand…now that we've shown you our full power?"** Number 12 spoke, his voice deep and guttural. "I think I stand pretty good, honestly. I mean, all of you put together are really strong, but if I fight each of you individually you're not much of a problem."

The Awakened Beings balked at Perseus' upbeat attitude. Didn't he realize he was outmatched and outnumbered? Why was he still so confident!?

Number 15 growled. His eyes glowed a harsher shade of yellow as he took control of the Wide Smile's aura. Perseus blinked at the sudden sensation that washed over his body, suddenly no longer able move. _'Hmmmm. Number 15 is the one with the Yoki control powers. Need to take him out first then. It'd be really annoying having to fight for control of my Yoki while actually fighting these rejects.'_

 **[Claymore OST: Kakusei no Kodou]**

With that thought in mind, Perseus flared his own aura, the magnitude of shattering Number 15's hold over him. He vanished in a blur of speed and appeared above the reptilian Awakened. He cleaved the beasts head off in a single cut, the force of the blow cratering the ground even further.

He vanished again, easily dodging the four fists of Number 12 as they demolished the buildings behind him. _'His arms function like pistons. Shooting his hands out at super speeds and retracting them just as fast.'_

Number 17 had taken off when Number 15 grabbed a hold of the Wide Smile's aura. Imagine his surprise when said Claymore materialized just above him with his sword cocked back, his namesake plastered on his face. The Bat-like Awakened's last view on Earth would be a demented grin and a flash of light.

Perseus landed nimbly on the ground, purple rain cascading from above, painting his hair and armor in its color.

No sooner had his grieves clanked against the stone, that he had to jump back to avoid being ran over by a giant ram head. All the same though, Perseus leapt into the air to avoid being crushed by Number 18's body, which was just hit by Number 12's piston-fists. Number 18 went crashing through the town.

Dumbass.

Number 19 saw this as an opportunity to strike at the airborne child. The spikes on his hump blasted forward at blinding speeds. The Wendigo-Awakened grinned in triumph when his tendrils skewered his target. Or so he thought.

The Wide Smile's impaled body vanished like a mirage…and Number 19's head fell from his body in a spray of purple liquid.

Number 12 leapt back when he noticed the close proximity between him and the Number 1. With a shout and a flare of shockwave inducing Yoki, the former Claymore shot his fists forward with the force of an avalanche. Perseus calmly tilted his upper body to the side, the elongated fists sailing harmlessly pass, pulverizing the abandoned dwellings behind him.

Grin still firmly in place, the Wide Smile whipped his sword arm up, cutting through Number 12's extended limbs like butter. The Yoma roared in pain…and had the top half of his head sliced off. Perseus landed lightly behind the collapsing giant, his platinum hair stained just as purple as his uniform.

 **[End OST]**

Perseus looked at the final Awakened Being. Number 18's ram-like golden eyes stared into the pools of liquid mercury that belonged the _Number 1 ranked Claymore._ The little devil hadn't even dipped into 10% of his Yoki aura-the former warrior couldn't even _sense_ his Yoki aura-and he slaughtered most of Number 18's companions in less than 90 seconds.

The Ram-Awakened kept count.

 _What type of monster was he fighting?_

Realizing that he was going to die if he stayed here any longer, the former ranked Number 18 poured on the Yoki and ran in the opposite direction of Perseus of the Wide Smile.

"Oh darn it," the Number 1 whined like a child who had been denied ice cream. "I hate it when they run," he pouted. Then he vanished in blur of silver and white. The sound of a sword cutting through flesh resounded through the night. "…I need some new clothes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few weeks later_

Perseus sat atop a giant boulder in the middle of a small valley. Towering mountains rose around him, the sun just reaching its zenith. Rabona had paid Ermata for Perseus' services in decimating the Awakened Beings. The inhabitants of that small village had all been eaten some days prior to their battle. The village was left in shambles in the wake of the fight, and most likely would remain in ruins till the end of time.

No one would settle in a place where the blood of Yoma had salted the earth, after all.

The bodies of the Awakened Beings had been hauled off back to the Organization's HQ for research and development…allegedly. Perseus didn't really care much what a bunch of wackjobs did with a smelly corpse.

As it turned out, Isley, Dauf, and Rigaldo's mission in Alfons had been a failure. All three of them had Awakened. Perseus wasn't surprised when he was told, he had felt the massive surge of Yoki coming from the north. He wondered if their combined auras were just large, or if his senses were just that sharp.

Anyway, since three of the most powerful Claymores had awakened in one location, the remaining warriors had deserted the Organization and went to the frozen mountains so they could Awaken and join Isley's growing force.

Perseus face palmed when he learned that little tidbit.

Personally, the Wide Smile didn't get the point of Awakening. Sure it gave you a butt-load of power, but then you became just another name on a list to be exterminated. From what he had heard about the process, one would feel an intense amount of pleasure when powering up, and an even more intense feeling when they finally went over the edge.

Whatever that meant.

In fact, Perseus barely even used his Yoki. The Yoma he butchered were barely above the level of flies, and the Awakened Beings proved to be little more than a warmup. The only time he dipped into 10% of his aura (The Number 1 hardly felt anything other than a surge in power) was when he and Isley had the occasional spare…that typically ended up in a ruined landscape. The man was powerful, _really_ powerful.

Perseus suspected that if he had never been inducted into the Organization, all of the Claymores would have been ranked one number higher. Regardless of the ranks though, the Wide Smile had asked why he hadn't been sent to Alfons yet to clear out the growing 'army.' The answer was that, as the literal last male Claymore alive, the Organization didn't want to risk him also Awakening and either joining Isley or taking over.

As it was, with the massive power vacuum that was just created, the Organization had flooded the ranks with a bunch of girls. Supposedly, females were able to resist the 'temptation' of using too much Yoki. Whatever, it's not like they all weren't going to die in the future.

But now…Perseus didn't know what to do. He was the last of his breed, an endangered species by definition. The time of the male Claymore was at an end, and only after a whopping 16 months too. Now was the time of the female. He really had no more reason to apart of the ranks anymore.

Perseus sighed to himself, "What do you think I should do, Ermata?" the Purple Butcher asked his handler. He was met with silence, a small breeze blowing through the small valley. "Oh that's right…you're dead."

After Perseus had finished his latest mission, he had grown bored with Eramta's monotone, ordering drawl…and cut the handler's head off. Another reason to question where to go in life: he had killed a human, a handler to boot. That was a big no-no.

"Well if everyone else is Awakening…I guess I should too." Clouds began to roll over the valley, hiding the sun. It was as if the very world itself was bracing itself for what was to come.

Perseus hopped off the boulder he was sitting on… _SQUISH._

"Oh yeah…that happened."

Perseus' latest mission had involved going into this valley because there were reports of Yoma gathering en mass in this location. Well, there were about eight hundred of the golden-eyed insects. They had gathered here believing that they would be safe, and that their numbers would be able to handle any amount of warriors the Organization sent in.

How wrong they were.

It was genocide. Perseus had descended upon the hoard like a juvenile, grinning demon. His sword moved so fast, it was literally invisible. He was like a sentient meat-grinder. Any Yoma within ten feet exploded in a shower of purple gore. Any Yoma in the range of a shockwave were disintegrated. When the dust finally settled, and the last beast was dead…the valley had been drowned in an ocean of purple liquid, severed limbs and terrified heads bobbed up and down. He didn't even use 5%.

There was so much blood, the Number 1 calf deep in the stuff.

Either he was really short, there was just so much blood, or this valley was just super small.

 **[Naruto OST: Kouen]**

Perseus reached for 10% of his aura, and the effects were immediate. His silver eyes turned gold, the pupils becoming vertical slits. Sea-green energy danced around his body, a spiraling barrier that made the ocean of blood churn.

He called upon _more_ of his Yoki, raising it to 30%. The veins on his face bulged, his teeth becoming lined with razor sharp fangs. His Yoki shot into the darkening sky, thunder booming across the land. The intensity of his aura increased, and the churning began to grow, a whirlpool of purple.

His Yoki aura darkened and got wider, the boulder being grinded into oblivion as 50% of his full power was called upon. His muscles bulged in a disgusting way, growing many times larger than a child his age, even larger than most grown men. His aura eclipsed that of Isley's now, breaching upon surpassing the aura's of all three Awakened's.

Perseus dropped his sword and fell to his knees as he reached _80%_. No going back now. The Number 1 Claymore had no doubt that every being on the continent that could sense Yoki was currently trembling in fear.

His spiraling aura had become a green pillar shooting straight into the clouds, lightning of a similar shade dancing across the atmosphere. The wind howled like the roar of an angry dragon. The Yoki had such an intensity to it, the shockwaves it generated began to crack the very mountains surrounding the valley. The ocean of corpses spiraled around the Yoki pillar, and massive chunks of earth were ripped from the ground only to be obliterated.

Perseus' skin began to turn purple, his mouth splitting open up to his ears, his maw filled with fangs. His platinum hair had taken to standing straight up. His body swelled with power, his muscles growing so distorted that his body suit _ripped_ and his silver armor actually _broke._ Claws sprouted from his hands and feet, his ears became pointed, like an elf's. His skin turned a light black, his body growing even larger than it already was.

His back began to bulge…then twelve, thick tendrils exploded in a shower blood. His head began to bulge even more than his back, his ripping off of his head. Ebony, sea urchin-like spikes erupted from his scalp, looking almost like they were slicked back. On its own accord, the Awakening Claymore's body stood up, his overly muscular body making an imposing and revolting sight.

His tailbone began to bulge as well, along with six other places along his waist. Then seven spikes emerged pointing downward, one from his tailbone, and three on either side of that one with the furthest spike emerging from above his thighs. The middle spike was the longest, with the spikes getting progressively shorter as they moved around to his thighs.

100%.

 **[End OST]**

 _THOOOOOOOOOMMM_

The Yoki aura of the Number 1 Claymore, of the one merged with the Asarakam, of the _demigod_ …reached its final peak. The resulting explosion had turned the surrounding mountains into dust, and evaporated the sea of purple entrails.

Standing in the middle of the dust cloud was the silhouette of a demon.

The demon raised its left arm…and clenched its fist. The resulting shockwave from such a simple action blew away the obscuring dust and smoke, revealing the Awakened form of the former Number 1.

His calves, thighs, crotch, stomach, torso, back, shoulders, biceps, and forearms were covered in sleek, black armor. On his shoulder plates sprouted twelve curved spikes, six on each shoulder, reminisce of crab legs. Six tentacles sprouted from both sides of his spine, totaling as twelve. Each one was twenty feet long, and half as wide as his arms. They slowly danced behind him, curling, weaving, and twisting. It was hypnotic, in a sense.

The spaces in between his armor showed wine colored flesh. Only the most accurate could place their blade there. On his elbows and knees serrated spikes made their presence known. Like the coattails on the robe of a king, seven spikes emerged from his waist line, pointing downward. Dark purple webbing was sewn between the spike. His hands ended in claws capable of ripping apart Claymore steel like wet paper.

Black spears stood from the Number 1's head. The spears on top of his head were angled backwards, and the ones on the back of his head were angled downwards, like that of a sea urchin. His ears were sharply pointed. The Wide Smile's mouth slowly opened, revealing twin rows of needle-like teeth that dripped with saliva.

Twin orbs the color of the sea glowed brightly.

" **Is this it…"** His voice echoed with a soft whisper, **"All that fuss and there was no reason for me to hold back…and I never imagined it would feel** _ **this good,"**_

His tentacles snapped straight out, tendrils splitting off the main branches to interconnect the tentacles. Sea green energy filled in the spaces that were made, creating a patchwork of glowing quadrilaterals.

" **Hungry…time to eat."**

The first Abyssal One grabbed his fallen sword, and took off into the sky. His destination? The Northern Land of Alfons.

 _The Leviathan had been born._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus Organization Rating: Pre-Awakening

 **Yoki:** SSS+

 **Agility:** SS

 **Strength:** SSS

 **Spirit:** SS

 **Perception:** SSS+

 **Leadership:** A

Perseus Organization Rating: Post-Awakening

 **Yoki:** EX

 **Agility:** EX

 **Strength:** EX

 **Spirit:** EX

 **Perception:** EX

 **Leadership:** SSS+

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Well guys. The first chapter of a new story.**_

 _ **Perseus was the first Number 1 Claymore to awaken, therefore is the first Abyssal One…although that title still doesn't accurately portray the power of the demigod Claymore.**_

 _ **He's also been spliced with Asarakam flesh**_ _ **and**_ _ **Yoma flesh. Pretty powerful combination. He's also insane, there's that.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and leave lots of reviews for me to read, please!**_


	2. Power of the Leviathan

_Power of the Leviathan_

 _ **Welcome back to the newest chapter in Leviathan!**_

 _ **Three reviews, 33 followers, and 28 Favorites. A beautiful turnout if I ever saw one.**_

 _ **But enough of that, on to the insanity!**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Percy Jackson or Claymore, but I do own this cute little plot line.

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Isley, or the Silver King as he was now called by his Awakened comrades, was a very powerful being. And just as prideful.

When he had learned that the spot of Number 1 was given to a child, he honestly felt betrayed by his superiors. They had constantly praised him for his combat prowess and immense Yoki aura, and his phenomenal control over it. He was destined to be the strongest.

 _So why was a toddler given the highest rank and not him!?_

But Isley was nothing if not patient. He would wait and bide his time, searching for the opportune moment to challenge and dethrone the little upstart. Then the time had come.

The Organization paired the two together for a joint Awakened Being hunt. The Voracious Eater was nothing compared to their power, either one of them would've been able to handle it on their own. It was on that day that Isley learned why his junior was called the 'Wide Smile.'

Still though, after slaying the beast, Isley had challenged Perseus to a duel for the Number 1 rank.

You see, challenging other Warriors for their rank was not unheard of, in fact, it was a fairly common practice among the ranks. The Organization even encouraged it, because it gave them accurate feedback on just how powerful certain Claymores were. The only stipulation was not to kill or permanently maim each other.

So, with those thoughts in mind, Isley and Perseus clashed…in the most one-sided battle Isley had ever been in. The future Silver King had never been so humiliated in his life! He had pushed his Yoki all the way out to _50%,_ and yet, the little devil had only drawn enough of his Yoki to make his eyes change color.

And he was grinning the entire time.

After Isley was soundly defeated, Perseus had stood over his prone body, that gigantic smile of his never wavering, and said the most infuriating words Isley had ever heard: "That was really fun, Isley! We'll have to do it again, sometime!"

He thought their battle was… _fun!?_

Isley was borderline trying to kill him, and the Number 1 only thought of it as a game? Then the androgynous little boy _skipped_ away, like he was a school girl.

The Silver King couldn't comprehend it. Perseus was, without a doubt, the strongest being on the continent, _so why did he act like a child!?_ Why wasn't he more dignified, more mature, more _noble!?_

Isley made it a point to act like someone who deserved his ranking. To act like the warrior he was supposed to be. But another thought then occurred to him: maybe there was something… _wrong_ with young Perseus. Isley then made it his personal mission to find out everything he could about the Wide Smile.

It was the first time Isley had doubts about the Organization.

The things he discovered about the boy's origins, and the Yoma's origins, and the Asarakam…it shattered his loyalty to the Men-In-Black. It made him question his grip on reality, and his place in life. Wouldn't you stop and reevaluate your life if you learned your only purpose in it was to be test subject in some experiment?

The revelations he discovered made him jaded, cynical, seeing only the worst in people. His view on Perseus was also changed. He once saw the mysterious child as an usurper, a stepping-stone to overcome, as an enemy…now he only looked upon Perseus with pity.

When he shared his newly found information with Rigaldo, Dauf, and Chronos, they had similar reactions to Isley. They also became jaded, even the thick-headed Dauf questioned what to do with his future.

In the end, they resolved to Awaken, and create a safe-haven for their fellow Warriors. They got their chance. Dauf, Rigaldo, and he were sent on a joint mission to Alfons to investigate the rumors of an assembling Yoma army. There were no Yoma, only humans looking to bring attention unto themselves. Regardless, the top Claymores unleashed their Yoma power and reached to heights of strength.

Dauf had become a heavily armored humanoid with the ability to launch massive, Yoki-filled rods at breath-taking speeds, but he wasn't very mobile. Rigaldo had evolved into an anthropomorphic lion with silver eyes. His speed, reflexes, and reactions had been seriously boosted, but regeneration was slow. Isley had transformed into the most powerful Awakened Being on record. His icy-blue eyes, sleek, centaurion form, transforming limbs, and overpowering aura had cemented him as leader.

When the news had reached the rest the Claymores, they had arrived by the dozens until all but one of their comrades were present. Those that arrived quickly Awakened. Thus, the first safe-haven of Awakened Beings had been created.

But the mind of the Awakened Being was not like the mind of a human.

Isley's mind had been warped by the power, and he tore down his own creation and rose as a dictator. He ruthlessly slaughtered those he deemed 'weak,' and dispatched those that stood against him with equal efficiency.

In the end, out of the 38 total former-Claymores, only 16, including Dauf, Rigaldo, and Isley, remained.

Isley had cemented himself as the ruler of the Northern Lands of Alfons.

"The men are getting anxious."

The Silver King turned to look at Rigaldo, "The men will be as patient as I require. If they have any qualms about that, send them to me. I'm sure I'll he and I will be able to reach an understanding."

Rigaldo's mouth set into a thin line, "If you keep killing our men, eventually you'll be the last one alive. And I don't think you'll want to be alone when the Organization eventually sends Perseus and the new females after us. You are powerful…but you are not a god."

Isley nodded his head, "You are correct in that I'm not a god. But Perseus is not a god either. Even he will fall in battle against all of us. And that is also why I will not be killing any of the remaining Awakened Beings."

The centaurion-Awakened turned his gaze to the sky. It was a peaceful day in the North. Snow covered the trees and the grass, but the sun still shined brilliantly through the sparse clouds. It was the picture of serene.

Isley opened his mouth to say something…when a surge in Yoki aura tore through his senses.

The sounds of crunching snow denoted the arrival of the other 14 Awakened Beings. All but Isley stared toward the south with gaping mouths. That Yoki was larger than his own, which could only mean one thing…

Isley of the North closed his eyes and bowed his head, almost as if in reverence, "It seems that…" The Awakened Beings looked at him. Isley's eyes snapped open, his pupils glowing brightly.

"… _Perseus has Awakened."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was night.

The pale moon above illuminated the world. The former Claymores had gathered in a massive clearing, snow covered trees lining the circular area, the towering forms of mountains visible in the background. A few hours ago, the Number 1 Claymore had Awakened. Even the non-sensors could feel the lazily approaching aura.

It was titanic.

It easily surpassed Isley's own aura, almost dwarfed it. Perseus was in no hurry to get here, but he would eventually arrive. It set the 16 former Warriors on an edge sharper than their swords. Then the approaching aura drastically increased in speed.

The Awakened Beings leapt back to avoid the crashing object. Its impact to the earth caused snow and dirt to reach for the heavens, and then slowly rain back down. From within the white shroud, two sea-green light shined at them all.

The debris cleared, and the Awakened form of the Number 1 became visible. The energy that made up his wings faded, and the braches receded back into the main tentacles, which shrank into his back, becoming spikes that jutted out along his spine.

All but Isley stared at him in fear. "Don't be afraid," he assured his battalion, "Show him our power."

Isley's eyes glowed, along with the eyes of the other Claymores, before an explosion of Yoki auras shook the earth. When the snow cleared, the Awakened forms of 16 Claymore warriors stood before the Leviathan.

Their combined power just barely eclipsed his own.

" **Perseus."** Isley greeted.

" **Isley…"** Perseus whispered, his echoing across the clearing, sending shivers down the spines of everyone but Isley.

" **What are your intentions here?"** asked the Silver King

Perseus was silent, his gaze roamed over the Awakened Beings. They felt like they were pieces of meat being analyzed by a butcher to carve up. The Leviathan's gaze returned to Isley's once more.

Sea-green eyes burned brightly in the pale moonlight, **"I'm hungry…and here I see a magnificent buffet."** Perseus vanished from sight. Isley's left arm became a shield, and his right arm turned into a spear, and he took a defensive stance.

It was pointless however, because Perseus reappeared behind an Awakened that the Silver King didn't know the name of, and bisected that Being at the torso. By the time everyone reacted and turned around, the Wide Smile had already disappeared and reappeared behind another unfortunate soul, and vertically bisected him. In another blur of motion, the transformed child was in _front_ of a third victim, his clawed hand bursting through the poor soul's chest.

Then Perseus did something no-one expected… _he bit the Awakened's throat out…and swallowed it._

All of that death in less than two seconds.

Isley and his followers stared in shock as Perseus _ate_ part of the Yoma.

Overcoming their sudden fears, the humanoid forms of Chronos and Lars appeared on the side of Perseus, their arms cocked back to deliver a massive dual blow to either side the Wide Smile's spike-covered head. In a motion too fast for even Isley to follow, the former Claymores were knocked backwards, a sound akin to clashing metal ringing over the silent clearing.

The two Awakened's clutched the bloody stumps where their arms once were.

Perseus raised his left arm to his mouth, and took a bite out of Chronos' arm. He swallowed before he raised his right arm to his mouth, and took a bite out of Lars' arm. He swallowed, before humming to himself, **"Tasty…"**

Then he stuffed both appendages down his throat at the same time.

If he wasn't the most powerful creature in existence at the moment, he would have had a promising career in…other fields.

In a manner similar to a cat, Perseus began to lick the gore off of the arm he used to impale the third Awakened. When he was done with that, he turned to face the Silver King, who tensed in preparation for battle. The strike never came. Instead, three tentacles began to snake their way from the Leviathan's back, and slowly travelled to the locations of the three corpses.

Without any respect for the dead, the tentacles pierced through the bodies. Then a slurping sound was heard by all, along with a crunching-like noise. Upon closer inspection, the Awakened Beings noticed that veins on the tentacles were beginning to bulge upward, toward the former Number 1's back, and the corpses were beginning to lose their color, the bodies becoming paler and…dried out?

Isley's pale blue eyes widened in realization, _**'He's draining them of their blood and internal organs, and he's sucking the remaining Yoki out of their systems. What is he?'**_

Perseus' body was arched back slightly, his arms spread wide, as if ready to embrace an old friend, a look of bliss on his black face.

' _ **Humans feed on the flesh of cows and birds. Yoma feed on the flesh of humans. But Perseus…he's feeding on the flesh of Yoma, Awakened Beings, even. What kind of monster did the Organization create?'**_

Perseus retracted his tentacles from the now dried-up husks that were once Awakened Beings, the veins in them returning to normal, his arms fell back to his sides and he bent over ever-so-slightly. His eyes began to droop…before they snapped wide open in sea-green fury, his already endless Yoki increasing in size.

Isley thrust his lance forward, and his soldiers roared, flaring their own Yoki auras. Snow was thrown into the air as ten Awakened Beings powered up and burst forward. Chronos and Lars leapt back to avoid the super-powered stampede lead by Rigaldo, and surprisingly Dauf. The big guy could move when he wanted to, apparently.

The Leviathan's eyes glowed, and he vanished from sight. A massive trench of snow was kicked up by the kinetic energy, scattering the charging Awakened Beings.

The Number 1 Claymore materialized in midair, mere feet away from Isley's armored face, his fist cocked back. With thunderous _crack_ , the Leviathan's fist connected with the Silver King, sending the black centaur _flying._ His equine body skidded across the snow, all the way out to the far edge of the clearing, where he proceeded to topple several trees on his way through the forest.

Perseus stared in the direction he just punched Isley…with disappointment?

Indeed, the Awakened Beings could see disappointment shining in those sea-green eyes. Rigaldo roared in anger, his red aura surging around him. With a guttural grunt, the Silver-Eyed Lion King vanished at his maximum speed, closing the distance between him and the Leviathan in a microsecond. His silver eyes widened when Perseus outstretched his arm, his middle claw held behind his thumb.

With near-lethal force, Perseus _flicked_ Rigaldo away. With nearly as much speed as he arrived, he was sent back, careening into the body of another Awakened, sending them _both_ carving a trench across the ground.

Dauf opened his mouth wide and pointed his arms at Perseus. Black rods the size of human beings shot from all three places, each rod with enough power turn bone into powder.

Perseus flexed his still outstretched hand, his Yoki pulsing. Immediately, the rods stopped in midair, their momentum reduced zero. With another Yoki pulse, the rods were sent flying back at the Awakened Beings… _with three times their original speed._

At speeds approaching the sound barrier, and the small distance between them, the Awakened Beings were too slow to dodge and were hit directly, the momentum of the rods sending them into the forest, all incapacitated. The biggest rod had hit Dauf straight in-between the eyes. _**'There went the rest of his brain cells,'**_ thought Perseus.

The Leviathan scoffed softly, __ **"Is that it, then? Sixteen Awakened Beings, all in the single digits, and this is all the power you can muster?"**

Perseus suddenly jumped, soaring into the sky, avoiding the plethora of arrows that Isley had fired at him. The Wide Smile was impressed when the arrows suddenly changed trajectory, streaking up at the airborne Awakened Being. Four of his tentacles burst forward, and little mouths filled with serrated teeth opened up along the appendages, catching the arrows, and eating them.

Perseus landed in a crouch, his massive body weight cratering the ground, his 'coattails' piercing the earth. He turned around, eyes glowing, and gazed upon the form the former Number 2 warrior of the Organization.

The armor covering the left side of his mouth had been shattered by the previous blow, exposing the massive, fang-like teeth hidden underneath. His left arm had transformed into a massive bow, his right pulling back the 'drawstring' to launch another salvo.

Perseus blurred backward, creating a larger distance between him and Isley. The latter launched his arrows, the projectiles just as fast as the rods that were just launched back.

But the Leviathan was _much_ faster than the others.

With almost no effort, he snagged all of the organic projectiles out of the air with a single hand. Then he proceeded to drain the Yoki out of them, adding more power to his bottomless reserves. With a bit of pressure, the drained arrows snapped like twigs, the shards imbedding themselves into the snow.

" **Now that the kids are asleep, you and I can finally have our…private time,"** Perseus _purred._

Isley felt a very disturbing shiver crawl up his spine.

The Silver King returned his hands into their first constructs of a shield and spear and assumed his stance. Perseus grinned his famous smile, but it was warped and twisted. Before, it looked like a deceptively angelic smile, now it looked the sneer of a demon lord from Hell itself.

The Number 1 took a runner's stance, his right arm bent forward and his left arm backward.

Isley's eyes glowed blue, then the outline of body glowed as well, before a torrent of Yoki poured from the Number 2, bathing the world in its icy light. Snow was blown away by the gale force winds, the ground cracking and denting around the black centaur.

Perseus' eyes glowed sea-green, then the outline of his body glowed as well, then an _ocean_ of Yoki exploded from the Number 1, bathing the world in its beautiful light. Snow was blasted away by the hurricane force winds, the ground shattering and caving around the black leviathan.

The two titans stared each other down, their Yoki whipping around them, small chunks of rock rising into the air. Their powers were compared to each other, but Isley's was found wanting. With one final surge, Isley reared back on his hind legs, the flare in power sending massive cracks through the ground, ripping up massive chunks of earth.

Perseus flared his own Yoki aura one more time, having the same effects as Isley's, but on a larger, more destructive scale. The Awakened Beings blitzed toward one another, twin comets of icy-blue and sea-green.

The Leviathan clashed with the Silver King in a world-shattering explosion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few days later_

In the mountains of Alfons, a young boy of about twelve years sat on the edge of a cliff, his feet dangling precariously over the edge. The boy was wearing faded-white trousers that were bunched up at mid-calf and a white cloak. The left side of the cloak was tucked underneath the right side, with the latter side being held over the left, fastened at the shoulder. An excess of cloth at the back served as a hood that was currently down, exposing the child's face.

Messy, snow-white hair that ended in black tips, much like wings of an Albatross, fell to his neck, with thin, feminine bangs hanging down, covering his left eye. His face was so angelic, you could easily mistake this child as a little girl. His exposed right eye was the color of the sea.

The boy was softly singing in a voice just as soft as his face:

" _We're running with shadows of the night_

 _So baby take my hand, it'll be all right_

 _Surrender all your dreams to me tonight_

 _They'll come true in the end~"_

"Perseus."

The now identified boy looked over his right shoulder to look at the man that had called his name.

The man had a 'pretty-boy' appearance, with long, silver hair, and crystal blue eyes. He wore a blue shirt tucked into white pants, which were tucked into plated boots. Over his clothes, he wore a blue travelling cloak, with armor-plated shoulders that had white feathers peeking out from underneath, and more feathers lining the bottom of the cloak.

"Yes, Isley?"

"What song were you singing? I've never heard of it."

Perseus forward, "I have no idea. It just came to me and I thought it sounded pretty."

Isley frowned. He would never understand the 'child' in front of him.

"Soooo…what did you want?" asked Perseus.

Isley looked down at the boy, "I wanted to know how you plan to rebuild our army after that fiasco a few nights ago."

The boy giggled, "Oh, that's easy. We have a long list of potential soldiers to choose from."

"What do you mean by that?" Isley asked confused.

This time, Perseus looked over his _left_ shoulder. His bangs fell out of his face, exposing his _silver_ eye, "Oh, Isley. If you stopped and thought for a moment, you would realize that we have 47 candidates just ripe for the picking."

He turned to look at the rising sun, "It's just a matter of finding the ones that are worth the time."

With that final statement, Perseus reached back for his hood, his arms parting the cloak, exposing the thin line running from his neck to his abdomen, and drew it over his head, pushing his hair down, covering the top half of his face.

Then he jumped off the cliff into the unknown below.

Isley let loose a breath he didn't know he was holding, "And so begins the odyssey of Abyssal Lord."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And there's the second chapter!**_

 _ **What happened in the final battle? Did Perseus win? Did Isley? Does it even matter!?**_

 _ **Next chapter will have some time skips, some interactions, some cases of mistaken gender identity, and introduce the One-Horned Bitch!**_

 _ **Fav! Follow! And most importantly, Review!**_


	3. In the Shadows of History Pt 1

_In the Shadows of History Pt. 1_

 _ **And here we have chapter three!**_

 _ **Story popularity is low for this one right now, but that's not surprising. This is only the third story of its category, written by an author that's working his way into the fandom world.**_

 _ **This will be a bit of glossed over chapter, with Percy interfering with the timeline here and there, so it goes without saying that this is an AU.**_

 _ **Also. Because of Claymore's vague order of events, some things may indeed be confusing.**_

 _ **Warning: this chapter is going to be extra-weird, and most likely disturbing. It will contain light sexual content, but this is a mature rated story for a reason.**_

 _ **Read at your own risk and any flames will be ignored.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I own neither franchise_

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 _3 years after Perseus whipped Isley's ass_

We currently find our Arkham-worthy protagonist skipping down a dirt road into the western lands of Lautrec, white cloak flapping around him. The hulking form of Dauf walked behind him. Perseus had finally sensed the Awakening of a warrior worth looking into. The aura was massive in scale, easily on par with Isley's.

That could only mean that the current Number 1 had Awakened.

It was about damn time, too. The Leviathan had spent the last three years wandering across the continent following the auras of warriors that seemed powerful. Most of them weren't even worth the trouble of fighting. A simple flare of his Yoki was enough to make most of them void their bowels.

Ugh, that was always nasty. It was like, 'Hey! I just met you, and this crazy. But I'm an Awakened Being, so fight me maybe?' Then the bitch would unleash her inner child and make a mess in her uniform. Dumbasses, learn some self-control before entering a warzone!

A soft grunting reminded the demented little boy of his companion. When Perseus had described the aura he felt to Isley, the Silver King had identified the warrior as Riful. Upon hearing the name, Dauf had immediately volunteered himself for the journey to convince the girl to join their side.

Perseus had seen no problem with it, and eagerly invited the behemoth to accompany him.

The former Number 1 had always been a highly acute Yoki sensor. His senses were so good that he could read emotions and predict attacks like child's play. Some of the men speculated that he could read minds. Perseus giggled to himself whenever he heard that. Of course he couldn't read minds…that was just silly.

But he could still sense emotions through aura fluctuations. And Dauf's aura was making the boy feel nervous. The behemoth's aura was conflicted, trying to decide on a path to follow no doubt. But there was one thing that stood out among the confusion: Lust. Whether or not that lust was aimed at Riful or Perseus was unknown, but the Leviathan hoped it was aimed at the latter.

He liked his butt just the way it was, and killing Dauf to prevent rape wasn't something he felt like doing.

It would be such a waste of potential dinner.

"Perseus…" the child in question looked at his subordinate, "If Riful doesn't want to join our army, what will you do to her?" The former Claymore's voice was rough and drawled, a clear sign that he had a few screws loose.

"Well, Dauf, if she doesn't want to be our friend," he started out cheerfully, looking at Dauf with his wide, child-like green eye. The he switched sides, staring at the Awakened Being with his cold, silver eye, "Then we'll remove her from the board entirely, before she becomes a player," his voice dropped several octaves, dripping with icy seriousness.

Dauf may not have been as intellectually brilliant as his compatriots, but he still picked up on the 'she'll join us or die' undertone. He wouldn't let that happen! Not until he confessed his love to his dearest Riful!

Perseus didn't even blink when his cloak was torn off of him and he was pinned to the ground, the former Number 4 straddling his much smaller body. The larger Awakened Being was using his meaty arms to hold the Wide Smile's arms out, and using his legs to hold down Perseus' legs.

The Leviathan felt drool land on his naked back…and something poking him in the behind. "I don't like you like this, Dauf," he whined childishly, like he wasn't in the most provocative position ever. "Would you pleeeeease get off of me?"

The hulking figure paid the boy no heed. If Dauf couldn't beat the Leviathan in a fight, then he would dominate him in this form, and then present the broken body of the infamous Wide Smile to Riful, where she and him could use Perseus as their personal toy, and she would accept Dauf and love Dauf and have fun with Dauf!

 _It was going to be perfect!_

Dauf's breathing picked up, his blood pumping faster, his pants growing painfully tight. With a grunt, his trousers actually _ripped_ , exposing his rather impressive package.

Perseus blanched, _'He's going someone in half with that thing.'_ With a sigh, the Leviathan said, "And that'll me the end of that." Four tentacles burst from the Leviathan's back, spearing Dauf through non-vital areas, sending him flying up and suspending him mid-air, blood dripping from the wounds.

Perseus rolled over and sat cross-legged, a child-like grin on his face, his sea-green eye shined with misplaced joy. His tentacles began to recede into his back, bringing Dauf closer to his face, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Dauf. That was really rude of you. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you were trying to make love to me," he sounded like he was discussing the weather. "But you know what they say about making assumptions: It makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me.' You need some new clothes. It wouldn't do for you to meet our little sis without some modesty."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The Witch's Maw_

Perseus and Dauf, who was clad in only a pair of pants, leaving his muscular upper half bare, stood outside the mountain entrance to the infamous 'Witch's Maw,' an old fortress that was once overrun by Yoma and turned into a breeding den. The reason for the name was because the leader of the Yoma hoard was a female. Allegedly.

Regardless of the legends, it was Rigaldo that was sent in to exterminate the little pests. Perseus didn't know the details, but when the Number 3 had returned to Toulouse, he smelled really weird, and had a really satisfied look on his face.

There was some inside joke, because when the top five warriors had met that day, all of them but the Number 1 shared a brief chuckle, causing the boy to ask what was so funny. The question only made the others laugh harder.

"Not a bad sized aura," said Perseus. "Reminds me of Isley, yet it doesn't have the serious vibe. It feels more like mine, honestly."

Dauf remained silent. You wouldn't have anything to say to someone that royally humiliated and overpowered you. He hadn't even seen Perseus' tentacles move. One second, Dauf is about to satisfy himself, the next…he was flying into the air with spears ripping through his body.

The clothes he was wearing came from some human that the duo stumbled across. Foolish human tried to kill them with a sword. Dauf had never felt more satisfied in killing anything else in his life.

"Well," the Leviathan drew his hood up, pushing his bangs over his eyes, "Let's not keep her waiting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was rather depressing inside of the ruins. Barren stone walls and corridors, lowlight to complete darkness, and a really musty smell. No wonder Yoma found this place suitable for a hive.

Walking through the ruins, Perseus and Dauf followed the aura to what was left of the throne room. Sitting in the big chair itself was a young girl of about thirteen, with long, dark hair, mirthful brown eyes, and clad in a faded pink summer dress.

Perseus also noted, because of the way Riful was sitting, she had no underwear on.

He could also tell that Dauf was having a _serious_ self-control battle.

"To start things off, my name is Perseus, and this is-"

"My name is Dauf."

Riful slid her hands together under her chin, "I remember you, handsome," Dauf blushed, "But I don't remember your little friend here." The Abyssal-a new term Perseus recently heard of-One of the West regarded the cloaked child. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

"Perseus is a boy," said Dauf.

"Ohhhh…I see." Riful cocked her head to the side, her hands resting on her throne, "Is he your consort, then?"

Dauf began to rapidly stutter, desperately defending his sexuality. Riful began to laugh, a melodious sound. Among the chaos of sounds, Perseus rubbed the bridge of his nose, _'How the hell did she come to that conclusion?'_

His Yoki began to subtly leak out, the air around growing increasingly heavy. Riful stopped laughing and Dauf regained his bearings. Riful was intrigued; she had initially felt very little Yoki coming from the child, leading her to believe that he was either a disguised Yoma, or a low ranking warrior. The power he was leaking out now, however, was easily on par with a single-digit Claymore.

Just who was this cute little one?

"Now that we have _introductions_ out of the way, we can get down to business," Perseus said in a soft voice. "We are here on behalf of the Silver King of the North, Isley. Perhaps you've heard of him," Riful kept quiet, wondering where this was going. "He's building an army. One strong enough to conquer these lands _and_ destroy the Organization. Isley would like for you to stand beside him as one of his generals.

"As something to sweeten the deal, Dauf here has agreed to offer himself to you as…whatever you need him for. Door mat, table, chair, bed, doorman, maid, sex toy. Whatever female Awakened Beings need to satisfy themselves and live comfortable lives."

The hulking form of Dauf stepped forward, his body wracked with nervousness, but his eyes shown with clear hope at being accepted by his 'true love.'

Riful was silent as she processed the situation. On one hand, she faced almost certain death at the hands of Isley and his agents. She knew of the Abyssal One of the North. He was stronger-not by much-but held more way more experience than she did. That and there was the fact that he was apparently garnering an army. She knew she was powerful, but not enough to fight that many Awakened Beings.

On the other hand, joining the Silver King would give her protection from any hunting parties the Organization sent after her. Although, Riful highly doubted the Men-in-Black had any current warriors strong enough to oppose her. Also, following the commands of another would make her Awakening all for naught. The only reason she embraced her 'Yomanity' was to stick it to the stuck-up bastards.

Then another thought crossed the youngest Abyssal's mind: an army.

Dauf had already pledged himself to her, and the man was indeed really hot. If Isley was going to build an army, then so would she. Starting with the two in front of her. The boy may have had some power, but it was impossible that he would outmatch her and Dauf. Perhaps he could make a good servant-boy; or even better, with a bit of work, the child could become her and Dauf's daughter!

It wouldn't be the first time she neutered a male.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline Isley's _generous_ offer." Dauf deflated, but the boy's wide smile strangely got wider. Pressing forward, Riful continued, "But I've come to my own ideas for the future. Dauf-y, would you come here, please?"

The Awakened Being shuffled over to the girl, "Now, just because I won't join Isley, doesn't mean you and I can't be together." Dauf visibly brightened, "But if we want to survive the coming war, we'll need an army of our own, and I see a new recruit standing…right… _there_." She pointed at the grinning Perseus.

Dauf got nervous. He wanted with all his heart to stay with Riful, but he didn't want to die doing it. Perseus was powerful, even more-so than Isley, but…but maybe, just maybe, he and Riful could _beat_ the Leviathan.

Riful flared her gigantic aura, filling the throne room with crimson light. Despite his reluctance, Dauf did the same, adding to the crushing power running through the castle.

Seconds later, the ruins of the Witch's Maw exploded upwards, a being made of sleek, black ribbons resembling a girl in a dress rising from the rubble, a smaller creature resembling an armored humanoid with steel rebar protruding from various places rising with the girl.

Perseus, white cloak dancing in front of him, whistled in appreciation at the Riful's Awakened form. Two glowing red eyes stared at him from within inky tresses. She honestly looked like she _crawled out of_ an abyss.

" **So little boy, are you going to submit willingly, or do I have to make scream?"**

Perseus sighed. Looked like he was going to have to fight the brat and force her to submit. He reached up and unclasped his cloak, letting the pure white cloth float away. A faint scar was visible running from his neck to his stomach.

" **Well then, since you're so eager to fight us, do you have to go potty before we start, little boy? I don't want you making a mess when spank you across the land,"** Riful said in a demented, teasing tone.

To her infinite surprise, Perseus _laughed._ The boy through his head back and howled with laughter. He laughed so hard he bent over to clutch his thin sides.

" **What do find so amusing? Do you find your situation so hopeless that you can't help but laugh at your impending doom?"**

Perseus stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye, "What I find funny, Riful, is that you think you and Dauf can beat me. The two of you combined aren't even equal to a _third_ of my full power."

Riful's glowing eyes narrowed, **"Just who do you think you are?"**

Perseus cocked his head to the left, his bangs falling out of his face, his silver eye staring coldly at the usurper, "I am Perseus of the Wide Smile. Number 1 of the First Generation and most powerful Awakened Being alive. As for you Riful… _you're dinner!"_ Perseus finished in a harsh, quiet voice.

Riful and Dauf lashed out with tendrils and projectile rods, respectively. They only hit air. Perseus appeared on a broken pillar behind the female behemoth, only to vanish in another blur of beastly speed as Riful whipped more of her tendrils at him. The pillar was obliterated.

Perseus appeared a fair distance away from the duo, on the ground. The forms of Riful and Dauf loomed over his 4'5 frame. **"The Wide Smile is just a myth. Isley was the first Number 1. Surely you jest."**

Perseus stared at Riful with a deadpan expression, _'It's only been a few years and the Organization is already trying to paint Isley's face over mine? Unbelievable.'_

"Alright Sugar Queen," the Wide Smile dodged more tendrils, "Since you don't seem to realize who you're dealing with…allow me to educate you, _little girl."_

The Leviathan's hair rose as his eyes glowed their respective colors, a shockwave of green Yoki spilling from his body, reaching for the sky. Riful's red eyes widened, and Dauf began to panic. **"Uh…Riful? We should probably go…you know, before he kills us."**

The Abyssal One dumbly nodded and prepared to leave before the child could Awaken. She was far too slow. The Ribbon-like Awakened was knocked onto what used to be her ass, and Dauf was launched, further destroying the ruins of the Witch's Maw, by the volcanic eruption of spiraling energy.

From the dust, to sea-green eyes bore into Riful's soul, **"Too late Dauf…far too late."** A voice echoed in a childlike whisper. **"Now you fall…as all of my enemies must…"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The world was painted red in glow of the sunset. Much of the landscape had been destroyed in the titanic one-sided battle. Dauf was impaled on a stone protrusion, blood soaking the stone and his body, painting him red, his clothes destroyed from his Awakening. He was barely alive.

Riful was in much worse condition. Like Dauf and Perseus, her dress had been shredded, leaving her naked once she no longer had the Yoki to keep her form. As it stood, she laid on the ground, her body _literally_ trying to pull itself back together. Her left leg was nothing but a mess of slowly repairing tendrils, her right was segmented into chunks of flesh connected by those same tendrils. Her upper body had massive holes torn through it, blood pooling beneath her. Her right arm was severed at the shoulder and her left arm resembled her leg. The upper left of her skull was missing, the only reason she was still alive was because Perseus was keeping her that way…by having one of his tentacles lodged into what was left of her rectum slowly pumping Yoki into her body.

When he felt satisfied she would live, the Leviathan, in human form, removed the tentacle, Riful groaning quietly at the sensation. Flicking it clean, he let it recede back into his body.

The setting sun casted a shadow behind his body, the silhouette hiding his features and obscuring his genitals, but his heterochromic eyes stared down upon Riful with a dark, primal intensity.

One could practically see the gears turn within his mind.

Without a word or a gesture, Perseus spun on his heel and located his favorite cloak. He donned it with a flourish, and pulled the hood up over his head once more.

There was no need for words…Riful knew she had been inducted into Isley's army.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, Riful's on our side now, and I've set up the groundwork for a 'Western Battalion,'" Perseus informed Isley. The Silver King nodded, "I sensed the auras of three powerful Beings, one was yours, and another was Dauf's. The third one must've been young Riful's. I'm assuming you had to _coerce_ the girl to join us?"

"…I don't know what that means, but I beat her and Dauf into the dirt."

Isley nodded, "Good job. Now go, there are other Claymores out there that will undoubtedly prove useful to our army."

Perseus grinned and drew his hood, then vanished in a blur.

Isley smirked. All was going according to plan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _5 years after the Battle of the Witch's Maw_

Perseus was once again walking down a dirt road. Only this one was through a forest. His appearance hadn't changed at all, his pristine white cloak still covering his body and hanging a couple inches off the ground.

Over the past half-decade, only a few Claymores had proven to be of any note. He sent those females to Riful and Dauf, who had rebuilt their fortress. How exactly they did that, Perseus didn't know, but it was still cool.

Currently, he was by himself. A few miles ahead, he sensed the aura of the Number 1 Claymore, 'Heavy-Bladed Chloe.' The Leviathan had some theories on why she was called 'Heavy-Bladed.' All of them involved relying on superior speed and agility to avoid what would undoubtedly be some very devastating sword-strikes.

Quickly growing bored of walking, Perseus blurred forward a few hundred yards, closing the distance between him and the potential Abyssal One to less than a football field's length. It was the curvature of the road that prevented the Claymore from seeing his sudden appearance.

A few minutes later and Perseus finally laid eyes upon the Number 1.

She looked remarkably similar to every girl he had encountered. Silver eyes, bleached-blonde hair arranged into three pigtails, one on either side of her head and one in the middle of the back of her head. The hair that wasn't tied up fell to her shoulders. Her claymore's hilt was mahogany in color.

Her eyes locked onto the white-clad form of Perseus, caution and curiosity present in her liquid-mercury orbs. Regardless, Chloe didn't care why a young child was walking through a forest alone. She had a mission to take care of, and playing babysitter was not in the job description.

As they passed, the Claymore heard the child softly singing to himself:

 _Dig through the ditches_

 _And burn through the witches_

 _And slam into the back of my_

 _Dragula!_

…

…

…what kind Devil-music was that?

Chloe stopped and turned around to make sure that the child was _sane_ when she noticed…they were gone. Chloe whipped her head around, quickly scanning the area and using her enhanced senses to hear, smell, and see anything childlike.

After practically dancing in place, and seeing no sign of the little girl/boy, Chloe sighed and rubbed her temples. Maybe it was just a trick of the light? It _had_ been a few weeks since she had eaten anything.

Contrary to what humans believed, Claymores did require food and water, albeit on a much smaller scale than their homosapien counterparts. They had to digest what they in took and then let it out when their bodies were done with it.

They even had the same _urges_ that human females had, which led to several warriors satisfying those urges either with another warrior…or their fingers. Chloe would freely admit that she found both experiences enjoyable.

Back to her mission, the Number 1 turned around to restart her journey…when something rammed a mountain into her stomach. Chloe was launched backwards into the forest, oxygen and blood spilling from her mouth in equal amounts. After crashing through several trees, the warrior slammed into one more, this one absorbing her remaining kinetic energy, but still cracking under the force.

Chloe slid down the bark, the course wood ripping the back of her uniform. She landed on the ground and immediately threw up. After dry-heaving for a bit, she finally got precious air back into her lungs. Her ponytails had come undone, her hair framing her face in a haggard mess.

 _What the hell was that!?_

She hadn't sensed or seen anyone or anything anywhere close! And a Yoma, Awakened Being, or God forbid, a human, couldn't possibly sneak up on her! She had trained extensively to get this position, and being blindsided by an unseen force wasn't something she beat out of herself.

Her internal rambling was brought to a halt when the child in the white cloak materialized in front of, juvenile grin stretching their face, eyes hidden by feather-like bangs. This child had to be a girl, but at the same time…not human.

"What are you?" Chloe demanded. 'What,' not 'who.'

"Oh, I'm just a simple little boy that just happened to be passing by when I sensed a really powerful Yoki aura."

Faster than the human mind could comprehend, Chloe had ripped her sword out and slashed at the 'boy.' The shockwave travelled in an arc that destroyed over a hundred trees.

Her silver eyes widened when she didn't hear the sound of tearing flesh.

"You missed," a sing-song voice sounded.

The she was flying into the sky, the impact to her jaw removing a few teeth. Chloe regained her bearings a few hundred feet in the air, and slashed her sword downward. This shockwave carved out a massive trench in the ground, sending up a cloud of dust which the Number 1 promptly fell into.

She had used two of her Heavy-Blade techniques already, and her limit was twenty. Her signature technique was a simple as it sounded: she channeled a large amount of Yoki into her arm and swung her sword, the speed behind it making it invisible and the strength behind it giving it enough power cleave into a mountain. She had done it before, so that wasn't an exaggeration.

It was designed to be a one-hit-one-kill technique against any opponent.

 _So why was she having her ass handed to her on silver platter by a midget!?_

Speaking of her ass, under the cover of the dust cloud and suppressing his Yoki to that of Yoma-parasite, Perseus snuck up and gave the Claymore's plump rump a particularly hard slap…that sent her carving a new path through the flora.

Good gravy, this one sucked. Riful was way stronger than this girl, and this girl was supposed to be the strongest of the generation. Perseus shuddered at the thought of future generations being this easy to stomp over. If that was going to be the case, then there was no point in letting Isley have his way…

Chloe flared her Yoki, pushing the obscuring cloud away. The white-clad form of the child stood less than ten feet from her. Perfect, at this distance it would impossible to miss!

The Number 1 channeled over 50% of her Yoki into her arm, the appendage bulged with muscle and power, ripping the fabric of her uniform. The technique was going to be on a level she had only used once.

With a shout, Chloe closed the ten-foot gap in less than a synapse fire, and _swung._

 _CHING!_

"…huh?"

The world froze, as if it itself was trying to comprehend the phenomena that just happened. Perseus had his forearm up, _blocking_ the Heavy-Sword. It seemed that the world was done comprehending, because there was a deep rumbling sound travelling through the ground, and then the fauna behind the widely grinning child was cut down in a cacophony of ripping bark, and crashing leaves.

Drops of purple liquid began to slide down the blade's length. "Oh my," said the demon-child, "You actually managed to cut me."

In a flurry of motion too fast for Chloe to follow, the Leviathan had adjusted his arm to where he held the sword between his fingers, and then brought his right arm up, _shattering_ the ultra-powerful steel.

As the fragments of her mighty blade floated in the air, Heavy-Bladed Chloe felt more fear at this moment than she had ever experienced in her life…

Except for _that_ day.

 _Flashback_

 _A five-year-old Chloe quietly hid in the tight confines of her closet. Her family…Daddy, Mommy, Sissy, Bubby, Granny, Grandpa, Mimaw, Papa, had all been killed by_ _it_ _._

 _A horrible purple creature with golden eyes and a grotesque body had showed up at their house, and had begun to eat everyone. In her fear, and the desperate tone of her Mommy's voice, Chloe had run and hid in her closet._

 _She heard the screams and wails of her family as the monster ate them, the sound of tearing flesh making the poor girl put her hands to her mouth in order to not let the cry out._

 _THUMP!_

 _Chloe's eyes went wide upon hearing the sound of something being thrown to the ground outside her closet. Moving ever so slightly, the child was able to see through the small gap between the closet door and the wall._

 _Chloe jerked back from the crack, the sight she just witnessed burning itself deep into her memory. The monster was panting as it thrust its hips forward, the body of her big sister held between the monster's arms._

 _Fearful tears fell down the girl's face. She didn't know what the monster was doing, but she did know it and her sister weren't supposed to be positioned like that…especially not with Sissy screaming into the monster's hand._

 _The monster let out a gasp and Sissy screamed one last time…before it was cut off with sickening snapping sound. Terror gripped Chloe's body. What would happen now? Would it come for her next? What would people say? How would she live without her family anymore!?_

 _All those questions and more flooded through the young girl's head, but the monster must've sensed something, for the sound of incoming movement wracked Chloe's body._

 _The monster was coming closer._

 _The door to her closet was thrown open, revealing the monster in all of its horrifying glory. Sadistic golden eyes, a bloody, fang-filled grin, an overly muscular, dark purple body. Chloe's sister lay dead behind it, her head facing upward, her body lying on its stomach. Blood poured from between her legs, pooling beneath her body._

 _The monster chuckled darkly,_ _ **"Here's Johnny…"**_

 _It reached out with its red-covered claw, and Chloe felt warmth run down her legs, the sound of liquid hitting the wooden floor reaching her ears. The monster only laughed harder at the spectacle._

 _Unbidden, a scream tore from her throat…_

 _Flashback End_

So engrossed in her unpleasant memories, Chloe was unaware of just how closely history had repeated itself.

Perseus quietly groaned when a dark spot appeared on the warrior's crotch and then streamed downwards. Then he audibly groaned when she fell on her wet ass and began to scream louder than a newborn.

' _If the future generations are all this pathetic, I'm going to commit genocide just purify the genepool.'_

Four tentacles slithered out from the bottom of his cloak, the new appendages growing longer so they could reach his shoulders without disturbing the bottom of the fabric. Chloe could only stare with wide, terror-filled silver eyes, as the Leviathan closed in for the kill.

At speeds just shy of the sound barrier, the tentacles shot forward, ripping through instant-death areas. One in each eye, one straight through the forehead, and the last one speared her heart.

Heavy-Bladed Chloe died a quick, painless, terror-filled death.

Perseus readopted his wide smile as he drained the remaining Yoki from the corpse. While a powerful technique, he couldn't absorb all of a Yoma's or Claymore's Yoki. He could only take in one twelfth of something's power. Oddly specific amount, but hey, it was still an added amount of power.

Such a disappointing fight. Then again, his standards for potential Abyssal Ones were much different from that of the Rank 2's and lower.

"On the bright side," Perseus said to himself, "She only wet her pants instead of pooping in them too. Progress."

Life was about to get really boring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Ok, so I lied. I said this chapter would introduce Priscilla and Teresa. Instead, it showed Perseus kicking some more ass and the massive power gap between him and others. The is reason because I had originally intended to just gloss over the history of Claymore, but then I was like: why not play with it some more?**_

 _ **This the result.**_

 _ **A bit darker, with nudity, attempted rape, mentioned rape, technical beastiality, and wetting.**_

 _ **Fear is a powerful weapon.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and please Review, but no flames please!**_


	4. In the Shadows of History Pt 2

_In the Shadows of History Pt. 2_

 _ **Finally, the next chapter! A big thanks to all those who've reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far.**_

 _ **This one will cover the interactions of Three-Armed Licht and Sistina the Divine Oracle.**_

 _ **On to the one-sided annihilation of the Claymore species!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _3 Years after the unexplained death of Heavy-Bladed Chloe_

Perseus had decided to mix it up this time.

Instead of tracking down the Claymores, he was going to set it up to where the warrior had to come to him. What better way to accomplish that, then to play Yoma? The Leviathan had taken up temporary residence in a small town in the Toulouse region. More specifically, the region assigned to the Number 1 Claymore.

Ironic that the Organization hadn't switched up the region assignments in ten years.

This town was so small, the 156 residents hadn't given it a name in the time they had inhabited it. It didn't matter though; they were all dead. Yep, all 65 men, 52 women, and 39 children had been _eaten_ by Perseus.

Despite his unlimited power, the Awakened Being still hungered for entrails. Human or Yoma didn't matter, as long as it was organic and eatable. However, humans were much less filling than the flesh-eating shapeshifters.

Combine the low-level satisfaction of a human, and the fact that he hadn't eaten anything in over a year, Perseus was quiet ravenous and un-picky with his food. It took only two days for the town leader to send a message to the Organization, but by then a third of the town hand been found mangled and torn apart. Hiding among the townspeople was really easy.

Two nights after the message was sent, the population hit zero and Three-Armed Licht's stupid ass still hadn't shown up. It was the morning of the fifth day, and the Leviathan was ready to carve up the land to find the object of his growing ire, when he _finally_ sensed the Number 1's Yoki fade into his radar.

She was still ten miles out and currently on a leisurely stroll through a field.

Goddammit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was high-noon when Perseus sensed Licht finally get within a hundred feet of the walls.

The Leviathan had taken to resting on top of the statue of the Twin Goddesses, Teresa and Clare. Perseus always felt weird when he was next to statues like this. It felt like they were familiar in a way that he knew them.

Which was impossible because gods and goddesses didn't exist.

The sound of clanking metal drew the white-cloaked boy's attention to the approaching Claymore. She was around six feet tall, rather impressive for a woman. Her brown hair was cut into short tufts, longer bangs on the right side of her face covered her eye. A dickey on her neck bore a cross-like symbol, with the cross guard curling inward in a spiral-like fashion.

Reminded him of his own symbol back in the day.

To his immense disappointment, Three-Armed Licht did not, in fact, have three arms. What a let-down. He had _so_ many jokes ready to fire at the potential Abyssal.

"Considering you're the only one I sense within this ghost town, I assume that you are the Yoma that has eaten the populace?" asked Licht.

"Well aren't you just full of manners? No introductions, no 'high, how are yous,' it was like your mother never taught you how to be civilized," Perseus said with a tone in-between disappointed and exasperated.

Licht glared with her visible eye, "My mother was eaten alive in front of me when I was a young a child."

Perseus rolled his eyes beneath his hood, "Oh, boo-hoo. I just ate a hundred-and-sixty people, how do you think the relatives of those people felt when I chowed down on their stinking bodies?"

The Number 1's eye turned golden for a split-second, before she took a deep breath and closed her eye. When she opened it back up, liquid mercury stared icily at…nothing.

Where did the child-like Yoma go?

"You should really work on your Yoki sensing."

Much like her predecessor before her, Licht was sent crashing through the stone buildings, all the way out to the surrounding prairie. Digging her hands into the dirt, the Number 1 carved twin trenches that created enough friction to bring her grinding to a halt…about two miles out.

Growling to herself, Licht activated 10%, her aura briefly blasting around her, then she rocketed forward back to the town. Upon blurring through the hole in the wall, she immediately laid eyes upon the white-cloaked menace.

She drew her sword from its sheath and executed her name-sake technique.

Perseus smirked appreciatively when he sensed the Number 1 flare her aura, and then he grinned maniacally when he felt the Yoki flow to her arm. _'Here it comes~,'_ the Leviathan sing-songed in his head.

He sidestepped and let the first thrust pass harmlessly past his chest. Then he panicked for a brief moment, underestimating the speed of the technique, and leapt on top of a nearby roof. He was almost too slow to avoid the thrust that obliterated the stone dwelling. In mid-air, he was a sitting duck for Licht's final thrust.

Didn't matter though, channeling his Yoki into his chest area only made Licht's attack push him backwards.

The shock on the woman's face reminded the Wide Smile oh so deeply of Chloe's. Perseus hoped she didn't end up having an accident like so many of her comrades did when they faced him. Fighting someone who smelled worse than an infant was so distracting.

And undignified.

Ending his internal monologue, Perseus mentally analyzed what just happened, _'In the span of .37 seconds, she was able to thrust her blade three separate times, all in rapid succession. Her moniker, Three-Armed, stems from the after-images created by the speed of her arm. Three strikes, the appearance of three arms. Most impressive, she was actually able to hit me. Granted, it did next to no damage, but a commendable feat nonetheless. It was designed like Chloe's Heavy Blade: one hit, one kill.'_

"Right then. Now that I've completely nullified your trump card technique, let's see just how powerful your Awakened form will be. I hear Riful is in desperate need of a more _feminine_ companion."

"W-what?" Licht stuttered. Riful? The Abyssal One of the West? What did she have to do with anything?

"Oh, Riful is a general in the growing army, the army being a conglomeration of both male and female Awakened Beings headed by the Silver King Isley."

Licht paled more than what should be unnaturally possible. Army? Riful? Awakened Beings? _Isley?!_ She had to get back to the Organization and inform of this!

The Number 1 spun on her heel and activated _60%_ of her Yoki in a frantic attempt to rendezvous with her handler…when she suddenly froze mid step. She was slowly turned around against her will, and came face to face with the smiling, angelic face of the one controlling her Yoki. A silver left eye, and sea green right eye.

' _Beautiful.'_

"Hmm. What we have here is a unique opportunity for me test a theory." Perseus' smile widened at the fear that flashed in the Claymore's eyes. "If I can control the Yoki aura of others to make them move, miss, or attack each other…can I forcefully draw out their aura?" The Leviathan's eyes glinted with a demonic light. "P-p-please don't," Licht begged.

"Please do."

Licht screamed in pain as her Yoki was ripped from her body. She was already at 60%, her face distorted and her muscles bulging, but Licht fought back against Perseus' control. But the Leviathan was far more powerful than she could _possibly_ imagine.

The Number 1's scream of pure agony was drowned out by the sound of her Yoki creating a shockwave that levelled the town.

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Perseus frowned at the smoldering corpse of Three-Armed Licht. The town had been reduced to rubble when her Yoki was forced to 100%, the shockwave destroying everything. It had also turned her clothes into ash and her sword into slag, but the Wide Smile had shielded himself with his own Yoki. Licht had been turned into a melting mummy.

Perseus put his right hand to his forehead and his left held his elbow, "Note to self: forceful Awakening leads to immolation."

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 _4 more years since Licht's death_

 _Good God…this guy and his time skips_

In the deserts of Lautrec are where we find our child-like anti-hero. Four years since he blew up Licht, and a new Number 1 had finally rose to prominence. The warrior's name was Sistina the Divine Oracle.

A misnomer really. The woman was neither divine nor an oracle. She was blind though, and had some really good Yoki sensing. Her pale-blonde hair was cut short, but her bangs were cut in a hime-style that covered her blank eyes. Her symbol was in the customary cross-shape, but attached at the end of each point was an arc opening in the corresponding direction.

This time, Perseus had forgone talking and banter, and went straight into combat the moment he saw her in the sands. His strategy this time was steadily push her into drawing more and more Yoki until she lost control of herself and Awakened.

It was proving more difficult than the Wide Smile had anticipated.

Over the din of rapidly clashing metal, and the artificial sand-storm created by shockwaves and air pressure, Perseus was impressed with Sistina's prowess. At 20% of her Yoki, she was able to effortlessly hold off four of his tentacles. Most Claymore's couldn't hold off two without losing a limb.

However, since the current ratio was four tentacles to twenty percent, the Leviathan would run out of appendages before the Claymore even came _close_ to her limit. That was not good.

It was a good thing Perseus had his arms, his fingers, his toes, his hair, and his Awakened form (which he hadn't used sixteen years). Huh, maybe it was good.

' _Oh,'_ Perseus was only mildly surprised when Sistina blurred in front of him, kicking up a cloud of sand. Her strategy was to increase her speed to catch him off guard, going in for the killing blow. The Leviathan grinned and performed an unnatural backbend, Sistina sailing overhead.

The Divine Oracle calmly spun around, using the flat of her blade to block the spearheading tentacles. The two weapons met in a clash of sparks, and Sistina went skidding back across the sand. After a few seconds, the Number 1 forced her claymore up, sending Perseus' tentacles off course and into the sky.

Sistina promptly cut them in half.

Perseus didn't even feel any pain, he only grinned some more and retracted his tentacle stumps back underneath his cloak. Rather than pressing her attack, the blind warrior instead opted to talk, "You have the appearance of a child, yet the abilities of an Awakened Being. Also, I detect no malice or hunger in your actions, so you're clearly not trying to kill or eat me." Sistina readied her sword, "If a didn't know any better, I would say it feels more like you're teasing me in the way a younger brother teases his big sister. Regardless, my mandate is to kill all Yoma or Awakened Beings I encounter, either on mission or off. Prepare to die."

After that intuitive monologue that had Perseus grinning like a madman, Sistina blurred forward once more. Her blade was inched from running Perseus through, before the Leviathan disappeared. The Divine Oracle's head snapped up, her milky-silver eyes locking on to the flying white cloak.

She jumped up to begin combat once more, but was violently hurled to the ground when _eight_ tentacles slammed into her. Being airborne like she was, Sistina couldn't properly dodge, but she did sense and react in time to form a defense to prevent too much damage.

"Sooo…they call you the Divine Oracle not because you can see the future, but because you sense Yoki to such a degree, it's almost like precognition," Perseus deduced as he landed. "Well, being able to read and predict your opponent's moves is all fine and dandy, but if you can't react in time…" the Leviathan trailed off, tentacles splayed out behind him.

Boosting his aura at the same time Sistina did hers, Yoki-enhanced flesh clashed with Claymore steel in an endless shower of sparks and clangs. The two warriors' choice of combat utilities moved so fast, it appeared that they were vibrating in place.

Sistina began to break a sweat however. She had never been pushed this far before, so her body wasn't used to this level of stress. At 50%, she was getting tired, and the Awakened Being was starting to get some nicks in here and there, evident by the slight tears in her uniform accompanied by thin, red lines that quickly closed up.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. She was able to effortlessly hold off four tentacles at 20% of her power; based on that ratio, she should've been able to handle these eight with 40%, but she was already climbing up to 60% of her Yoki aura.

Sistina's milky eyes widened when she sensed a brief buildup of Yoki, her body too slow to prevent the next two tentacles from spearing her through the intestines.

With near reckless abandon, Sistina drew upon 70% of her Yoki aura. She cut off the tentacles spearing her body, then ripped out what was left inside of her. The gaping holes were immediately sealed. With a deep breath, the Number 1 lowered her Yoki output to 60%, her bulging muscles de-swelling and returning to a semi-normal state…or would have if not for a 4'9 white missile ramming her stomach and knocking out her wind.

Perseus rolled over his successor's body and leapt ten feet high, did a 180 twist, landed, and pinned Sistina down by piercing her wrists and ankles with tentacles. The Claymore's sword had been knocked out of her hands when the Abyssal Lord slammed into her gut.

The Wide Smile stalked forward until he was standing right above Sistina's head, his smile gone from his face, making him look more like Perseus of the Deep Frown.

Too bad the Number 1 couldn't see it.

"I've grown bored of trying to make you up your aura on your own, but forcefully drawing it out of you will make you melt like Licht did." Sistina's eyes widened, "You're the o-one who k-killed Licht?" she gurgled.

"Yep," Perseus popped the 'p,' "And Chloe too, but she wet herself and that was just weird. Licht was an accident and you're going to be my next guinea pig."

Sistina began to struggle against the tentacles pinning her down, but to no avail. Not even her aura was responding to her. "Don't bother trying to escape. I've you got locked down tighter than a nun's skivvies and I've restricted your aura at 69%." Perseus paused before giggling, "Heh, heh, '69.'"

Sistina screamed when she felt a foreign Yoki enter her body, and, like a normal immune system, her own Yoki aura surged to expel it. The effect it had was jacking up her output to 75%. She screamed again when more Yoki was injected…and more of hers was unconsciously drawn upon.

But with the feeling of pain, came the feeling of something else: pleasure.

Like the men of old, women still felt sexual stimulation when they drew upon their Yoki powers. They were just able to resist the addiction more than the men. But in Sistina's current condition, with the Yoki of the most powerful creature being pumped into her, and her own aura on a high, the poor Number 1 felt her uniform getting wet.

And it wasn't from sweat.

With a final surge of his Yoki, and a final surge of Sistina's, the Claymore's output reached 100% with the most satisfied wail Perseus had ever heard…but she didn't Awaken.

… _Que?_

Perseus put his senses on maximum. He was sure her Yoki limit had been surpassed, but there was no explosion of sand, no surge in power, no grotesque transformation into a monster of ungodly power. In fact, the Leviathan couldn't sense _any_ Yoki in her at all.

Sistina was dead, somehow, and she had died with a _really_ satisfied look on her face. Perseus withdrew his tentacles from her hands and feet, but kept on guard in case this was a ruse. The Tendrils reached the bottom of his cloak and still nothing happened.

The Wide Smile slowly walked around the body, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. Everything was perfectly fine aside from the tears in her uniform where he had cut her. The only thing that got Perseus' attention was the dark spot in-between Sistina's legs.

The smell of urine was absent from the air…but the strange scent of honey was present.

"Well ain't this some shit. All this time and effort spent in trying to make her Awaken and all I get is a weird-smelling corpse." Then he shrugged, "Oh well, who am I to pass up the opportunity of a good meal?"

With that, the Son of Poseidon went down on Sistina.

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 _ **Well that was fun. Next chapter will Lutecia the Universal and Roxanne of Love and Hate**_

 _ **I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to update this.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	5. In the Shadows of History Pt 3

_In the Shadows of History Pt 3: Universal_

 _ **You guys really like the innuendos, especially the last one**_

 _ **I apologize for this delay, but I was wrapped up in the success of Xenomorphic. But fret not, my fans, for I'm about to write the**_ _ **shit**_ _ **out of this story. Like, expect Percy to be back in his world by the end of June, perhaps even shorter than that.**_

 _ **This chapter will cover Lutecia the Universal, which will be somewhat comical (I hope).**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own PJO or Claymore_

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 _Perseus biological age: 27_

 _Physical and mental age: 10_

 _Northern Land of Alfons_

 _Days after Sistina's death by orgasm_

"And then she died! And she smelled really weird! And she tasted really sweet, too!"

Isley's already pale visage had gone whiter than the snow he was currently standing on as he listened to Perseus' recounting of the past several years. If the current Claymores were weak enough that they were all so easily defeated by this monster, then all of his plans were about to be shot straight to hell and below.

He and Riful _together_ couldn't beat the Leviathan, that he knew. So, he had Perseus, with his naïve, juvenile mind, go out and attempt to recruit potential Abyssal Ones so Isley could use them to kill the little devil.

But apparently even without consciously doing it, Perseus was still screwing up his plans for dominance.

"That's…really…nice, Perseus," Isley managed to say. Gods, he hated this brat. Why couldn't _he_ have the power of the Leviathan? It would've made things so much easier.

"Yeah, but I don't know what to do now though. Everyone good is dead, and the rest aren't even worth tracking down," Perseus flopped down in the snow, spreading his arms wide, his feet dangling off the cliff edge. He looked up at Isley with his wide, sea-green eye. "Any ideas on what to do?"

Isley swallowed, "Yes. You could take a vacation. Go somewhere nice, blend in with the humans. Have fun." Isley shrugged. _'Just go somewhere far away from me so I can start planning on how to kill you.'_

"Okay!" Perseus chirped. The he disappeared, the snow softly blowing from his subsonic departure. Isley blinked; he hadn't expected getting rid of the brat to be that easy. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Perseus suddenly popped up in front of him, his little head cocked to the side, exposing his silver eye.

"If you try anything while I'm gone, I'll eat you." Then he was gone again.

Isley finally let out that breath. The Leviathan could be such a terrifying little demon.

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' _Holy' City of Rabona_

 _10 years later_

 _Perseus biological age: 37_

Here we find the Leviathan on a leisurely stroll through the cobblestone streets of Rabona, the city in which there are no Yoma, nor Claymores…pffft, bitch please! The microsecond Perseus snuck into this place he had immediately sensed the presences of multiple Awakened Beings. He had spent the last decade just wondering and sightseeing around the place. Humans were extremely unobservant. Whenever he got hungry, he would have a blast framing some random human for the murder, and when the city authorities executed the framed man, Perseus would eat that guy too!

When he got really bored, he snuck into the church during Sabbath Day and listened to the preacher talk about some guys with some really funny names, some really plain names, and some really dumb names. Why on earth would you name your children Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego if you didn't want them to have terrible childhoods?

Anyway, the Former Number 1 had met the Awakened Beings who secretly resided in Rabona. It seemed the name 'Leviathan' held quite the weight to it in the underground community of Super-Yoma. Of course, the children (compared to him) were doubtful of his claim of being the 'Great One,' but a minute flair of Yoki and them all groveling before him.

Now he had a cute little cult that followed him around…until Perseus got _really_ annoyed and told them to follow him, only if he called for them. That was three years ago. Runts had done what he told them to with the utmost respect, but he still saw them around town.

Perseus kept his ear to the dirt and learned from merchants and such about the current events of the world. Salesmen were seriously talkative. From what he overheard, the Organization had gone through Claymores like yesterday's crap and were on the 69th Generation…

…and the current Number 1 was a Silver-Eyed Witch named Lutecia 'The Universal.' Well, after a leisurely ten years, it was time to get back to work. Maybe this one would actually be worth the time it took to find her, fight her, and make her Awaken.

If the past was anything to go by…she would end up wetting herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few days later_

Departing from Rabona had been a blast. His cult hadn't wished him to leave, but he had given them orders to stay. They had reluctantly followed his orders. But, in celebration of his return to the social world, he and his cult had _raised hell._

Explosions, collapsed buildings, and corpses. Lots and lots of corpses. It was like a Corpse Party!

Anyway, it had taken a remarkably short amount of time to find the one they called the Universal. Usually, it took a few weeks to track down the Number 1, but this one was…different. And by different, Perseus meant _damn._

Upon seeing Lutecia for the first time, the Leviathan thought, _'Oh my God they've started making male Claymores again…'_ Further inspection of the Number 1 had the Wide Smile thinking, _'OH MY GOD! THAT THING IS A WOMAN!'_

Lutecia the Universal had to be the most _masculine_ Claymore to walk the earth. She was easily over six feet tall, her blonde hair tied tight over her head into a small ponytail. Her face looked like someone had repeatedly smashed it with a frying pan. Flat features and an overly square jaw line, her head looked like a box. Her body was perhaps the most disgusting thing Perseus had ever seen (and he had seen the eviscerated corpses of dinner). Her shoulder width had to be over three feet, her muscles looked to be surgically implanted with boulders, her torso and waist were just as large, and her legs looked more like tree trunks. It was a wonder the Organization had a uniform big enough for this bitch.

In short, Lutecia was a walking meat mountain.

And by Jesus, did she look just as intelligent as one.

Her pale-silver eyes looked vacant and dumb. Her tongue hung loosely out of her mouth, and drool slowly dripped from her chin. She had large buck teeth on prominent display, and she walked slightly hunched over, dragging her feet.

Her symbol matched her body perfectly: the branches curved upward with bulges in the middle, and the top had a circle. It looked like a little flexing stick figure without legs.

Perseus had no idea how this woman became a Claymore, let alone the _Number 1,_ but she held that title for a reason. That, or this was a generation of complete retards.

"Hiya!" Perseus greeted in his typical amical fashion, "I got lost in the forest and I'm looking for my mommy and big sister. Have you seen anybody come this way?"

"Duhhhh…Oh! Hello little girl. Uh, I don't _think_ I've seen anybody else on this road." Her voice was thick, slow, and sounded like she was speaking through syrup. Was this person repeatedly dropped on their head? Knowing Dae, that was entirely a possibility.

"Oh," Perseus sighed dejectedly, "Well I guess I'll just keep looking by myself…in the woods…where Yoma could eat me, or bandits could hurt me…"

"Otay! Have fun!"

Perseus face palmed. This was not something he expected. All other Claymores he used this trick on had their maternal instincts kick in and they accompanied him all across until he got bored and finally stuck his tendrils in some really not nice places. _This_ person was a whole new breed of dumbass.

Well. Time to see how powerful Lutecia the Universal truly was.

The Leviathan blurred in front of the Number 1, and sent a Yoki-enforced punch straight to her chin. Her head snapped up and she was lifted off the ground a few feet…before her leg swung and nailed Perseus in the side.

Now that was different, thought the Wide Smile. It had been a long time since he had been hit like that. And points to Lutecia for shrugging off his punch. Only Dauf, Rigaldo, Riful, and Isley had managed to do something like that.

"Hey…that hurt, Little Girl. Why did you hit me?"

Perseus shrugged, an action accentuated by his favorite cloak, "I want to see how strong you are so I can decide if you're worth my time."

Lutecia scratched the back of her head, a bunch of white flakes accompanying the action, "Durrrrr…time for what?"

The Abyssal Lord grinned, "Time to see your Awakened form."

Lutecia blinked. She wasn't smart, but the Man in Black said that she should never 'Awaken.' Funny, she never went to sleep! And the Little Girl sure was creepy…and weird.

"Now…lets fight."

Lutecia couldn't even draw her sword before the Little Girl punched her in the stomach. Blood flew from her mouth and she doubled over, but that was it.

Perseus was starting to get an idea of what Lutecia's moniker meant. Her defense was good; well, her durability was good, but how good was her offense?

Lutecia used the momentary pause to draw her sword and swing at the girl with her fist buried in her (Lutecia) gut. The girl vanished before anything could happen to her, but the trees behind the child were destroyed from the force of the swing.

Lutecia expanded her senses and located the Little Girl. The Claymore vanished also and reappeared in front of the grinning child, her large, green eye shining with happiness.

"That huuuurt," Lutecia whined.

The Little Girl just stared at her. The Claymore shifted uncomfortably under the deadpan gaze of the child. "You know what?" asked the Girl. "What?" asked Lutecia.

"I'm just going to eat you."

Lutecia grunted when she was suddenly hit with a bunch of things. Looking down, she saw black tendrils piercing through all of her special places that the Man in Black said to protect. It was at this moment that Lutecia's limited brain comprehended the situation

She decided to fix that.

Perseus was _mildly_ impressed when Lutecia dipped into her aura reserves and severed his tentacles. Then she disappeared. The Leviathan felt a massive pulse of Yoki, before a shockwave tore through the trees. The kinetic wave harmlessly washed over the Awakened Being, but the same could not be said for the greenery.

Lutecia's Yoki Shockwave had _levelled_ the forest.

Perseus blanched when he saw the Number 1. She stood in the epicenter of the blast, her eyes glowing gold with slits for pupils. The veins in her muscles were bulging, straining the fabric of her uniform even further. She had just flared 50% of her Yoki. Quite impressive for a brat. Still, she was far beneath him when it came to raw power. Right now, she could've fought Rigaldo and _might've_ lived if the Lion King was feeling generous.

"Not bad. I've seen way stronger, but still not bad." Perseus could give credit where it was due. His heterochromic eyes narrowed beneath his hood, however, when he noticed something was _off_ …about Lutecia.

She didn't look like she was religiously beat with the Ugly Stick.

In fact, she looked kinda…appealing? Was that what Rigaldo called the females he liked?

"Now, Little Girl," her voice sounded more feminine now, "I think it's time you _die_." Perseus side stepped when Lutecia crashed down beside him. He swung his fist at the Claymore's head, but she was faster than she used to be. The Wide Smile's tiny fist was lost in Lutecia's meat glove. "Naughty Girl."

Lutecia jabbed her blade across her body in an attempt to spear the Leviathan through the head, but the diminutive Awakened brought up his left arm across his own body and intercepted the massive blade. Lutecia's golden eyes widened briefly…before she was suddenly flying through the air. The Little Girl had thrown her.

Lutecia's sword disappeared from human sight as she began to block, parry, and deflect a number of tentacles that shot up after her. Sparks rained down upon the earth from the power behind the attacker and defender. However, Lutecia's face began to contort into one of pain. She wasn't fast enough to handle all of the tentacles t once, and some were beginning to get in some nicks here and there. Evidenced by the rips and tears in her uniform. The tentacles weren't able to pierce her Yoki-enforced skin, but it still _huuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrt!_

The Universal blasted another shockwave by upping her Yoki percentage. With her new found power, and the sudden breathing room, Lutecia rocketed back down to earth.

Perseus grinned when he saw the approaching Claymore, so, he did the only thing that was logical in his special mind: he jumped up to meet her. And decked her in the schnoz. Lutecia still went down to earth, albeit much faster and at a different angle.

She was immediately up and moving, narrowly dodging the mass of tentacles that slammed down where she once was. She needed more power, but she was already at 70% of her Yoki.

' _Remember Lutecia, never go above 70% of your Yoki, or we'll gave to spank you.'_

' _No mister! Please don't spank me!'_

' _Then don't go above 70%.'_

' _Otay!'_

Tears brimmed in Lutecia's eyes, she was going to get a spanking! Her mind was beginning to revert back to its infantismal state. She panicked even more when the Mean Girl appeared in front of her, and began to punch her in the face. Lots of times.

With a final punch, Perseus sent the Number 1 flying across the shockwave crater, the ground being torn asunder beneath the Claymore. Lutecia impacted with a cloud of dust, and a monstrous tremor.

Perseus cocked a brow when he sensed the Universal getting up and then dispersing the dust cloud with a burst of speed. Oh well, time to end this. For the first time in what was probably years, the Leviathan called upon his own Yoki. It was a miniscule amount (by his standards) but it was enough to release a blast of power that repelled Lutecia like an insect.

His heterochromic eyes turned gold, and his pupils became slits. At just 10% of his Yoki, he was already more powerful than Lutecia.

The Leviathan's left arm began to blacken, darkening from the dense Yoki being channeled into it. His arm began to deteriorate at the elbow, the skin and muscle separating until only two strands connected the appendage. His fingernails lengthened into black claws, his middle finger elongating to a two-foot-long spear-like the nose of a marlin.

Perseus had turned his little arm into a sword.

And he was about to go to town with it on Lutecia's face.

Lutecia groaned as she removed herself from the rubble she been buried under. "Owieeeeee," she rubbed her gigantic head with her gigantic hand. She didn't know what happened, but it had hurt. Then her Yoki-perception detected something closing in fast.

She just barely managed to leap into the air, before the Mean Girl stabbed the ground where Lutecia once was. Looking down from her elevating position in the air, her vision enhanced by her golden eyes, "Her arm wooks weird."

Lutecia gasped as pain exploded from her big belly. The Mean Girl had stabbed her all the way through her body. Then Lutecia screamed when _multiple_ things ripped through her internal organs.

The Wide Smile grinned when he heard Lutecia scream as he made branches erupt from his Arm Blade. Time to end this. The Leviathan activated his most devastating technique: Yoki Absorption. A satisfying feeling filled Perseus' body as he drained the Yoki from the Universal.

60%.

50%.

40%.

Lutecia's arm suddenly swung up. The strength behind her sword was not enough to sever the Purple Butcher's arm, but it was enough to make him disengage. That also left the branches in her body.

Gravity decided to wake back up and the two non-humans fell back to solid ground.

Perseus did not give the wounded Claymore any time to rest. He was in front of her in a heartbeat, removing her large head. Lutecia's heavy cranium slammed onto the earth with a splat of blood…then it began talking.

"Aww, my body…am I going to get a spanking?"

The Leviathan's eye twitched. "No," he said through clenched teeth, "but you will get _this._ " He promptly stomped on Lutecia's head with enough force to make it explode like a grape.

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Perseus didn't even bother trying to digest the lump of decaying meat that was Lutecia the Universal. No, he didn't want to end up like Dauf. He could _feel_ the stupid that radiated from Lutecia. Oh god, was that how _he_ acted around people?

No, Lutecia was retarded, he was just insane.

Anyway. Perseus just chopped up the Universal into tiny pieces, literally, and left them on the forest floor. Wild animals wouldn't eat Yoma flesh, some instinct told them to stay away from beings with Yoki. Yoma themselves would probably come along, attracted by the Claymore smell, or the remains would fade into history.

Either way, the Abyssal Lord was just glad to have such a nuisance removed from his domain.

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 _ **And he makes his triumphant return to the land of monsters. This chapter was going to cover Roxanne of Love and Hate too, but I thought that after a month of silence 3k words was enough.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	6. In the Shadows of History Pt 4

_In the Shadows of History Pt. 4: Love and Hate_

 _ **I'm back with chapter six! As the title and previous installment suggests, this one will be about Roxanne of Love and Hate. And it will be dark, oh so very dark. However, we're going to start off with Cassandra first. A shout out to FuZzvKiNgZz for giving me the idea.**_

 _ **We're going to see a little of Percy's bad side, as well as see him 'grow up.' We're also going to see Isley's plans shot down like a wounded duck.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Claymore or Percy Jackson_

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 _24 years after the death of Lutecia the Universal_

 _Perseus biological age: 59_

 _Southern Lands od Mucha_

Cassandra, the current Number 1 of the 72nd Generation, had just finished her…something number Awakened Being Hunt. Alone. It wasn't difficult, the poor thing was probably once warrior in the 40s. She made quick work of it with her sword technique that did not yet have a name…

Now she was on her way back to Toulouse to meet up with her handler, or her handler would meet up with her. The Man in Black had a habit of just popping up. He was weird.

Cassandra really did enjoy Mucha. The trees, the grass, the smell, the sun, the kid in the white cloak, the calm weather…wait.

Cassandra whirled around to see the antithesis of the Organization standing not ten feet behind her, a wide grin on its face (the Claymore could not tell the child's gender). "Uh…hello there, little one."

The child continued to grin at her.

"Um…are your parents arou-"

"You're different."

Cassandra blinked. The child's voice was genderless. It was too feminine for a boy, yet too masculine for a girl. The possibility that this was a Yoma had also crossed her mind. This child didn't have an aura, per se, but they did feel different from a human.

"Different how?"

The child cocked their head to the side, "You don't feel like you have a tree branch shoved up your butt, like all of the others do nowadays. You actually feel kinda nice."

Cassandra blinked at that answer. So many questions ran through her mind at once. A tree branch in her butt? She tried that with her fingers, it didn't work out well. Like the others? The other what? And feel kinda nice? As opposed to what?

"Uhh…" Cassandra's brain felt like exploding, "Who are you?" Let's get the basics out of the way before moving onto more complex questions.

"I'm bored. That's who I am."

Cassandra was going to bash this brat's skull in. "Alright, _Mr. Bored,_ " she said through clenched teeth, "can you tell me what you're doing out here in the wild? Without your parents? Or siblings? Or did you wander off and get lost?"

Instead of answering, the child asked, "What is it with you and all of these questions?"

Cassandra gripped her hair and growled in frustration at this kid's antics. Why couldn't this nuisance just give her a straight answer? Why was she having trouble with someone who probably wet themselves at night? Why was she even wasting her time with Mr. Bored?

Oh right. Because did her best to remain human.

And part of being human was helping those in need, no matter how frustrating.

Once again, Cassandra asked, "Where are your parents?" The kid shrugged, "Don't know. Never knew them." Cassandra blinked, suddenly feeling really bad. But, there weren't any orphanages around here for _miles._ There was no way the matrons would let any children, especially one this young, get this far out.

And then there were the Yoma that wandered around out here. They would've chewed this child up and shit them out long ago.

Alright, even more questions, but let's stay on task here, "You said you were bored. Why are you bored? Surely there's lots of things to do where you're from."

The child shrugged, "Meh. I'm bored because I've been doing the same thing for like, years now, and I want to do something different."

Cassandra smiled softly to herself. Children were so adorable with their exaggerations. "And just what is it that you've been doing for like, years now?"

The child raised his thin arms up to the hood of his cloak and took it off. Cassandra had to physically restrain herself from gushing at the sheer adorableness that the little angel in front of her radiated. That soft face, the long hair that covered his left eye, and his wide, innocent, green eye. It was the picture of cute.

"I've been hunting down fighting Number 1 Claymores for the past fifty years to see if their strong enough to be a part of my army."

"Aww, well isn't that cute-wait, what?" Cassandra wasn't sure she heard that right. The child, still keeping his innocent appearance, repeated his statement.

You could practically see the world around the Number 1 crack and shatter.

For the past five decades, the Organization had been investigating the mysterious and unexplained deaths of many of the former most powerful warriors. The only things each death had in common was that the Number 1 looked to have been eaten and drained of Yoki. The only exception to that was Three-Armed Licht, who was found as a pile of smoking flesh from what was apparently Yoki-overload. The most prevalent theory was that the warriors were ambushed by several Yoma or Awakened Beings skilled at hiding their aura, and used the element of surprise to quickly take down the warrior.

Many believed that theory, it was plausible after all, and there were several instances in the past were lower ranked warriors had let their guards down and ended up as a meal. But there was another theory. One far less believed because of how much _fear_ it instigated. The other theory…was that there was a being, a powerful one, perhaps one more powerful than Isley of the North, hunting and killing the Number 1s for either sport, or to satisfy their hunger.

It was terrifying thought indeed.

And now Cassandra was standing in the presence of what could or could not be the most dangerous creature alive. Then again, this child could very well be jesting her.

"Hello? Anybody in there?"

The Number 1 was broken out of her thoughts when the boy started knocking on her head like it was a door. So she did what was natural given the suddenness of the situation: she grabbed her sword and swung in a motion too fast to be scene.

CHING

The child had caught the blade in between his fore and middle fingers.

Cassandra grit her teeth and tried to pull her blade free. She tugged and tugged, but the brat wouldn't let go. Then she looked into his visible eye…and _froze._ His eye was dull, but not in the bored kind of way. It was dull in the way a swords master looked upon an impudent novice. It was dull in the way an Awakened Being looked upon a warrior in the thirties. It was dull in the way a god looked upon a mortal.

The gravity of the situation crashed down on Cassandra's shoulders like a pair of meteors. She had just attacked a being that could wipe her out like an ant. A being with enough strength to split her body in half.

Cassandra felt a terror grip her with the likes she had never felt before. She was at the mercy of this creature, and she had no idea what he was going to do to her. One of humanities greatest fears was the unknown. And right now, the dark possibilities of the future were racing through the warrior's head.

"Now that was rude. At least Riful showed some respect when she realized who I was."

The boy jerked his arm up, bringing up Cassandra's sword along with it, and punched the Claymore square in the face. Cassandra proved to be nimble and landed on her feet, but she immediately went to her knees, one arm supporting her weight while the other tried to stem the blood flowing from her burning nose.

A quick pulse of Yoki and the problem was fixed.

Now she just had to find a way out of this alive.

"Hey! There's something I've been meaning to ask you! A few years ago, I fought this one girl, named Sistina, and when I fought her, I tried to make her Awaken by sending my Yoki into her body so her body's Yoki would push mine out, but I kept sending more of my Yoki into her body, which made more of her Yoki come out, and I made her get to 100% of her Yoki, but instead of Awakening she just smelled funny and there was this really sweet stuff between her legs. I really liked it, so do you know how I can some more?" The boy managed to say all of that in one breath.

Cassandra paused for a moment as she went over what to be the longest coherent sentence she had ever heard. So he fought Sistina, pumped her full of his own Yoki, which, like human antibodies, made her own Yoki rise to force out the foreign one. But he sent so much Yoki into Sistina's body that she unintentionally Awakened, which made sweet…stuff…between her legs…Oh. My. God.

He had made Sistina orgasm right before she died, and now he apparently had a sweet tooth.

This was wrong on so many levels, but if it got her out of this in one piece, then it looked she was going to give this childlike Awakened Being the Talk. A shiver crawled up Cassandra's spine; this was _so_ wrong.

"Well, ah," God, how did she explain this to a kid? "You see, when a woman gets excited-"

"Like when someone gets them something really nice, like a necklace or something?"

Cassandra's face couldn't get any redder, "No, not _that_ kind of excited. Um, it's the kind of excitement that happens when she's in the bedroom-"

"She gets excited when she's about to go to sleep?"

Cassandra mentally calmed herself down, frustration at being interrupted was not good to show right now, "No, she doesn't get excited when she goes to sleep. Well, technically speaking. He gets excited when there's a man…and the man is also…excited."

The child still didn't get it, "They both get excited when they're about to go to sleep?"

Cassandra was screaming internally. Now she had to explain puberty to an eight-year-old. Rubbing her temples, she launched into a sub-conversation, "You know when you go to take a bath, or go to the bathroom, there's that little thing in between your le-"

"The penis, yes. Go on."

Blink. Okaaaaaay…he knew what his reproductive organ was, "Do you know what girls have between their legs?"

The boy's face scrunched up, "Something about china, right?"

Any other time, Cassandra would've found this interaction completely adorable. Right now though, she was hoping not to die. "Close. It's actually called the _vagina._ "

The boy made an 'Ahhh' face.

"And when a man sees…a vagina…he gets excited…and when a woman sees a penis…she gets…excited…too. And when the man…puts his penis…inside a vagina…" Cassandra thought she was going to die, "…repeatedly…the woman gets even more excited…and that's when that really good stuff you stuff you like comes out." She finished in a rush. Her face felt like it was on fire.

"So…if I see your vagina-" Cassandra managed to somehow blush and pale at the same time- "and you see my penis…but wait. Sistina didn't see my penis, and she got really excited. Are you sure that's how it works?" the boy asked scrutinizingly.

Cassandra glanced off to the side, and coughed, "Well, there are other ways to make a woman excited. A woman can use their fingers, or other… _things_ ," like someone else's tongue, "to get excited."

The boy thought for a moment, "Other things huh…" Then a bunch of tentacles burst from his back, all of them several feet long and pointed right at Number 1. "Do these count as other things?"

Cassandra fainted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Five years later_

 _Perseus biological age: 64_

Hatred. Pure, unadulterated, _hatred._

In all of his (known) life, the Leviathan had never really felt emotion. Sure, he was known for his cheery and amicable disposition, but he wasn't really _happy._ It was more of an act, a mask, if you will. Even during his time as a Claymore he never really felt anything for anyone. It wasn't that he didn't care, it wasn't that he was heartless, it was just…he didn't have any feelings for anything.

He wasn't sad when someone died. He wasn't glad when someone came back alive. He wasn't mad when someone insulted him. If anything, he was positively neutral. He liked to see the bright side of things, even if it really didn't matter to him at all.

He was not empathetic.

But right now, the Abyssal Lord's heart and soul were filled with the most volatile emotion. He had spent the better part of the last five years with Cassandra. At first, it was just because he wanted to find out how to get more of the sweet stuff, but then it became more. He had grown attached to the Claymore, close to her. He never did get any of the sweet stuff from her, but he didn't want to.

Perseus didn't know how to describe his relationship with the Claymore, but it definitely wasn't lovers, siblings, parents, friends, or anything like that. He guessed it was just finding comfort in companionship with one another.

But all of that was ripped from him by an upstart by the name of Roxanne.

Perseus had first heard of the Claymore when she was ranked 35. He had observed her over the course of her tenure when he wasn't with Cassy (his nickname for her; she called him Percy, which made something inside of him resonate). He had never felt such contempt. He promised himself that he would personally kill this animal when he got the chance.

Roxanne had a rare ability among those with Yoki: Yoki Synchronization. She could read a person's Yoki aura and mimic it to a 'T,' perfectly copying sword styles, techniques, and even hide her aura completely from a chosen target.

It wasn't her ability that made Perseus mad, it was how she used it that filled him with contempt. She would 'befriend' certain Claymores just for their powers, and when she was done with them, Roxanne would lead her companions on a 'failed' Awakened Being Hunt, one in which all but Roxanne would survive-without injury of course.

Just a few days ago, the Wide Smile had observed as Roxanne had led a Hunt that resulted in the current-now passed-35th ranked warrior to die. The tragedy to this story is that Number 35 had been a close friend of Cassy's, and someone Perseus could easily get along with, having been introduced by the Number 1.

Instead of slaughtering Roxanne then and there like he should have, the Leviathan had instead decided to do something noble: he had told Cassandra. Perseus wasn't the best with people, but he knew that telling the Number 1 would make her sad and angry at the same time.

He just didn't expect her to feel them in such excess.

Cassandra, instead of making a plan to eliminate the Number 2 ranked warrior-who was actually a friend of hers, which _really_ bit-she instead made a beeline straight for Staff…at two-hundred miles an hour. Perseus, expecting an excellent display of power that would undoubtedly result in a new Abyssal One, one that he would send to the South, had watched from the top of one of the desert cliffs.

What happened next was what filled the Lord of the Abyss with such fury: Roxanne had _killed_ Cassandra.

He was going to have to rectify that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roxanne of Love and Hate was besides herself with joy. She had finally done it! She had finally killed-and got away with-the Number 1 warrior! _And now she was the Number 1!_

It was perfect, she was at the top, and there was no one alive that could knock her down…

That's when an _unbelievable_ amount of pressure crashed down on top of Roxanne's shoulders. Falling to her knees, her breathing extremely labored, she looked around and saw the other warriors were in _worse_ states. The ones below Number 37 were all pressed into the dirt, their flat bodies slowly being pressed deeper into the earth.

This pressure was being created by _something's_ Yoki aura, and whatever it was, it had shit ton amount of it. Roxanne had never felt an aura like this before, it surpassed hers like she surpassed everyone else. It was inconceivable! It was unbelievable! It was suddenly gone!

…come again?

Oxygen finally returned to the Claymores' lungs as the oppressive Yoki aura seemingly just vanished. Roxanne, and many others, spread out their senses, looking for whatever had caused them to almost suffocate. Surely whatever had such a large aura was still in the vicinity. Right?

That's when something crashed down right in the middle of the battle field, sending dust, debris, and warriors flying through the air. When the dust finally settled, everyone present, Roxanne included, were shocked to see a young child. The child looked to be about eight-ten years old, about 4'9 in height, and a slim, almost feminine build. The child was shirtless, exposing the _scar_ running from neck to navel, was wearing grey trousers that bunched up at mid-calf. His hair was a strange mix of white with black tips, like the wings of an albatross. His left eye, sclera and all, glowed silver, while the entirety of his right eye glowed the color of the sea.

But it was his arms that drew the most attention. They seemed to be separated at the elbow, two strands of flesh connecting the limbs to the body. The disconnected arms were pitch-black in color, and extended backwards. The middle fingers on the arms had extended by two feet, and the fingers were curled inward, the nails having become thin claws.

It was silent for all of a minute, before the child spoke in a distorted, multi-layered voice, _"All of you will die tonight. There will be no survivors."_

That was enough the galvanize the warriors into action, but Roxanne noticed something the other 39 women didn't: the boy wasn't standing there anymore. What came next would forever be remembered as the White Massacre.

There were hundreds of sudden black streaks tearing through the air, or more specifically, tearing through the lower ranked Claymores. The ones above 15 managed to raise their swords fast enough to block, but the force behind the invisible blades was enough to send them skidding back across the dirt.

The boy rematerialized in the same spot he crashed down in. Then Claymores 15 through 40 were suddenly collapsing, their bodies cut and their limbs severed. The blades of the survivors glowed red-hot from where they were struck.

" _You."_

Roxanne locked eyes with the Awakened Being, for what else could this monster be?

" _The crimes you have committed in this lifetime will now be paid for…in_ _full_ _!"_

Primal fear gripped Roxanne's heart, and she found that she couldn't move from her spot on the dirt. The boy began to steadily walk towards her, and her terror increased. This demon's Killing Intent was insane!

His KI only seemed to be directed at Roxanne however, because the remaining 13 warriors all blurred around the boy, circling him. He continued his leisurely walk. The warriors all had their swords out, and then all blitzed forward in an attempt to spear him through several directions all at once. The boy kept walking. The warriors were mere _inches_ away when all of them suddenly froze…then they all swung their swords clockwise.

The boy calmly stepped over the decapitated bodies in front of him, his eyes still glowing brightly.

' _No!'_ Roxanne screamed in her mind. She had spent years working and killing to get to this level of power, and she was not going to let this ugly creature do her in!

With a scream, Roxanne surged to 60% of her aura instantly. Her eyes became gold, her pupils became slits, her teeth turned into fangs, veins bulged across her face, and her muscles swelled with power. A spiraling mass of Yoki violently swirled around the demonic looking woman.

The boy paused in his walk, taking time to evaluate his opponent.

"Eat shit and die!" Roxanne exploded forward with a grunt, the ground beneath her cratering even more than it already was. She raised her claymore high above her head, ready for a devastating two-handed overhead slash, but the boy parried with his arms, the sudden change in forces sending Roxanne back. She unfazed though, landing on her feet and then surging forward once again.

This time, instead of a forward assault she changed directions and began streaking at him from the sides. Anyone watching would've seen a white blur tearing across the earth, and a flash of sparks as it crossed the boy that was standing there. They also would've heard something like 'eat shit' over and over again.

The boy quickly grew bored of this, and, when Roxanne came flying back at him, he swung his arms. The Number 1 reacted just in time to bring her sword up as a shield, but she was launched into the air like a baseball.

Flying up, Roxanne right herself and looked down, searching for her opponent. He was nowhere to be seen on the ground.

SCHLINK

Roxanne screamed when she stabbed through the ribs by two thin blades. A voice spoke in her ear, _"You are a dust mite fighting a god."_ Then Roxanne felt the blades in her gut remove themselves, and she was rocketing back to the ground. She landed hard, kicking up dust and rocks.

Roxanne groaned as she felt her Yoki regenerate her wounds. She was up and moving when her body was done healing, and quickly located the Awakened Being. She was in front of the child in a microsecond, ready to decapitate the little devil. She swung her arm with all the power she could muster…then she couldn't feel her arm anymore.

She watched as her limb and her sword sailed away into the night. Roxanne whimpered; the seat of her uniform suddenly felt a lot warmer.

The boy's arm twitched, and Roxanne's legs were severed at the knee in a spray of blood. Before she could hit the ground, the boy kicked her in the chest, right between her breasts, sending sailing across the earth. Roxanne landed on her back, bouncing a few times, before her momentum dwindled and friction did its thing. She immediately rolled over and used her remaining arm to crawl away, her flight instinct demanding she get as far away as possible.

She did not get far.

The Awakened Being appeared next to her, and stomped on her hand, shattering bone and skin like wet paper. She didn't have time to scream before she was lifted off the ground by her curly hair, and brought to eye-level with the demon.

Tears brimmed in her golden eyes, and she could smell herself. The boy's face was neutral, his eyes like spotlights in the night. The he dropped her on her back. Roxanne looked up at her tormentor in defiance. If she was going to die, she was not going to do it like a toddler.

Before she could say anything, the boy roared in her face. It was a deep, loud, and terrifying sound that carried across the land. The Men in Black at Staff, just two miles away probably heard it. To her shame, Roxanne felt something wet spread out from her crotch.

The boy looked down on her like a god, _"What was it you told me during our battle? Oh yes, I believe it was-"_ he reached down and ripped away the cloth at Roxanne's ass- _"eat shit…"_ The boy stomped on Roxanne's stomach causing her mouth to fly open…and he shoved the contents of his hand into her oral cavity.

Roxanne's screams were muffled as the Awakened Being forced her to eat her own feces, lest she choke to death. It was the most torturous, humiliating, and disgusting thing the Number 1 had ever been forced to do.

When she was done, shit was smeared across the sides of her mouth, and her stomach churned from its new contents.

" _You are the type of person I hate most in this world,"_ the demon said. _"The kind that uses others only to benefit themselves, only to kill them once you're done with them. I've watched you for many years now, I've seen the crimes you've committed. The lack of loyalty you've shown disgusts me._

" _And, for some reason, I've always had a problem with those that aren't_ _loyal_ _. Speaking of loyalty, I'm going to have a talk with Isley and Riful about this little coupe their trying to plan behind my back."_ The Awakened Being sighed to himself, _"I don't know why I'm telling you this, I'm about to murder you after all."_

Upon hearing that, Roxanne's survival instincts kicked into overdrive and her body did the only logical thing it could think of: she Awakened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus was inwardly impressed with the newest Abyssal One.

She was tall, sleek, powerful, covered in armor; her arms were thin and spindly, and she had three 'wings' sprouting from her shoulders, each as thin as her arms and adorned with blade-like feathers that were evenly spaced out.

Too bad the Leviathan wasn't recruiting right now.

" **I'm going to kill you, then eat you, then I'm going to shit you out and eat you again! Hahahahahahahahaha!"** Well, good to know that she's completely lost it. Makes Perseus feel better that he's going to remove such a danger to the world. Let it not be said that King Perseus didn't care about his lowly subjects.

The Awakened Roxanne had no idea what happened. One second she was more powerful and was about to murder the little demon, the next she was drowning in Yoki, looking at a creature that crawled out of-no, a creature that _ruled_ the Abyss.

Then she was dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Organization High Cancel the massacre from a distance. This was…this was unprecedented. A single Awakened Being, capable of slaughtering an entire generation of Claymore all by himself!?

"Well," Dae chirped, "guess we know what happened to Perseus after all these years." The mad scientist spun on his heel and descended into the shadows of Staff. "I'll start drawing up a project to take him down."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few days later_

 _Northern Lands of Alfons_

"We will take this continent! All of the humans and Yoma will grovel at our feet and serve us…as they should! No one will stand in our way! Not the Organization, and not the Leviathan!"

Isley's declaration was met with roars of approval from the _seventy-eight_ Awakened Beings assembled before him. One would think this was a Sabbath if they stumbled across it.

This little assembly was organized by Riful and Isley to cement their position among the Awakened Army. With Perseus seemingly always out of the picture, and the humiliation they both had suffered at his hands, this was the perfect way to get back at him: turn his army against him and then hunt him down like an animal.

There was no way even _he_ could beat this many Awakened Beings at once, especially with the Silver King and the Red-Eyed Witch backing them up.

"Is that so?"

Every Awakened Being there was suddenly forced to their knees. Even Riful and Isley could barely keep themselves upright. Looking up, the shock that rippled through the Abyssal Ones' bodies was enough to send them face first into the snow.

It was Perseus, of that there was no doubt, but he looked…older. Instead of his usual eight or ten-year-old look, he now looked to be maybe thirteen or fourteen. He was definitely taller too, about 5'4. His eyes were more narrow, his jaw more angular, giving him slightly more intense look. His hair had been pulled back and tied into a small ponytail with a black ribbon, and parted in the middle. His clothes though, were the most notable change.

His trousers were black and were tucked into durable boots of clearly expensive make. He wore a black vest that came down to past his waste. Silver designs of intricate style were sewn into the fabric, excluding the area of his shoulder blades, along with four red stripes, two in the front on either side of his abdomen, and two on his back on either side of his spine. The front of his vest was split open at the sternum, and went up into a wide, popped collar.

His very presence radiated authority and supremacy.

"Gentlemen. I be placed into bewilderment," the Lord of the Abyss slowly, calmly, made his way forward from the back. The Yoki of those present betrayed them, as they were forced to bow when he walked passed. "There I was, enjoying my life, when I sensed an ungodly row…here in the North. Soldiers swearing allegiance to those wrongly in command. My own generals resting control of my army from me." He was almost at the front, his smothering aura only increasing with each word he spoke. "What be that, Lieutenant?"

Rigaldo's voice worked against him.

The Lord of the Abyss raised his hand to his ear, "Again?"

"Mutiny, my Lord," Rigaldo spoke clearly, though it was with obvious distaste.

"Aye, mutiny…and what fate befall mutineers?" he asked with dark rhetoric. "Now, we all know the answer to that, we not?" The Lord's eyes began to glow faintly, the assembled army in front of him shifting from a mix of fear, and a desperate attempt to move.

The Abyssal Lord sighed to himself as he stood in between his generals, and turned to face _his_ army. "There is no need for violence or bloodshed here. All that we need is a little reminder of just _who_ is in command here…"

The Leviathan's aura washed over the army like a tidal wave sent from an angry god. The world was bathed in sea green light, lightning dancing in the night sky above. Gravity was suddenly increased by the density of the Yoki, everyone present flared their own auras in an attempt to protect themselves, and to fight off the Leviathan's overwhelming power. They almost came close.

The Abyssal Lord's aura increased to unregistered levels, and everyone was sure that they were going to die-a few of the weaker ones fainted outright. Then the aura was gone, and everyone could function again.

Isley managed to ask in between pants, "How did…you become so…powerful…?"

The Lord of the Abyss looked at his northern General, "You were there that night all those years ago when I absorbed the Yoki of those former warriors. What have I been doing for the past fifty years, Isley?"

The Silver King's eyes widened when realization hit him like the Leviathan's fist, "The Number 1's…you've been absorbing their Yoki after you killed them." The Abyssal Lord looked over the ravine behind him.

"I believe this event heralds the beginning of a new age."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And so ends the tale of Cassandra and Roxanne.**_

 _ **Percy will be more mature in following chapters, but will still be juvenile and have a sense of dark humor. For those who are justifiably confused over his new appearance, I based it on Ezio's appearance before he became one who served the light.**_

 _ **Next chapter we will be introducing Luciella of the South, and Teresa of the Faint Smile. I think y'all will like the special connection I make between our little anti-hero and the two most powerful women in the Claymore-verse.**_

 _ **Happy Memorial Day!**_


	7. In the Shadows of History Pt Final

_In the Shadows of History Pt: Final_

 _ **In this chapter, we will be introducing Luciela of the South, briefly covering Elegant Hysteria, and beginning the road to canon with the Faint Smile.**_

 _ **Let's get started!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _28 years later_

 _Perseus biological age: 92_

 _Southern Lands of Mucha_

Perseus was laying on a boulder, his vest removed as he soaked up the sun. Like an old man-which he technically was-he was reminiscing about the past thirty years.

After the Quelling of the Rebellion, the Awakened Army had fallen into an unparalleled state of unity. Of course, it also helped that Perseus was far more attentive to the actions of his army. Through his more frequent visits, he had learned that there were forty-seven Beings in the Northern Army, and thirty-one Beings in the Western Army.

Now he need someone to occupy the Southern territory.

There were many brats that thought they were strong enough to claim the title of Abyssal of the South, but they all fell way short of the Leviathan's standards. Predictably, they didn't like being told that they were weak, so they tried to violently prove him wrong.

Imagine the Abyssal Lord's surprise when it was _Isley and Riful_ were the ones to stop the upstarts.

It seemed that when he made them submit to his power, something had changed in them for the better. They were actually loyal now, all thoughts of betrayal and usurping his position gone from their minds…at least it seemed that way. Perseus chalked their behavior up to the animalistic and territorial nature of the Yoma.

They submitted to an alpha, much like a pack of wolves. And Perseus had cemented himself as alpha hands down.

The past thirty years had been spent training his army of seventy-eight, making them stronger, faster, quicker, harder, and smarter-in most cases. Dauf seemed to have a natural aversion to intelligence.

Like all armies, the soldiers grew restless and eager to engage in battle. And an army of bloodthirsty Awakened Beings itching to fight was not a good thing to have on one's hands. Luckily, the army had a seriously overpowered leader that was more than happy to satisfy the battle-lust of his subordinates.

It was also a great way to build loyalty and trust among the men.

What better way to come together than to smash fists with your leader?

But that was in the past and Perseus was bored again. His contacts had informed him that the current Number 1 and 2, sisters no less, were currently at Organization Headquarters…along with over half the 75th Generation. Didn't know what was going on in Staff, but it probably wasn't going to be goo- holy dog shit, that was a big Yoki aura!

And man was it on a rampage. The only time Perseus had sensed such slaughter was during the White Massacre, so that meant whoever was making mincemeat of the Claymores had some serious strength. Then again, this aura was on par with Riful's, meaning this was probably the Number 1, which meant this was probably Luciela, which meant this was probably the new Abyssal One, which meant he now had a viable candidate for his Southern General.

It was just a matter of convincing her to join the army.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luciela, in her powerful Awakened form, was just running. Running from the Organization, running from her wounded sister, and running from herself. Beneath her, the ground cracked and cratered from the force of her mighty footfalls.

She had no idea what had went wrong. Her sister, Rafaela, was doing so well with their Soul Link, but something had gone pear-shaped, and instead of the controlled Awakening they had planned on, Luciela had temporarily lost her mind, and became the very thing she had fought against: a monster.

The purpose of the experiment had been to create a new breed of warrior capable of fighting the newly resurged Leviathan, an Awakened Being more powerful than anything on record. The experiment had failed.

Everything she did, she remembered with perfect clarity. Every slash, every bite, every cut, every evisceration, everyone she put in her mouth and ate. Not even her own baby sister was spared from her blind onslaught. After regaining her conscious thought, and realizing the atrocities she had committed, Luciela had fled.

Before she knew it, the new Abyssal One had made it into the Southern Lands of Mucha. Not wasting anytime to take in the scenery, Luciela kept running, the ground trembling beneath her as she searched for a place to live, a place to think.

She eventually found a valley nestled in between a small mountain range. Reigning in her Yoki, Luciela returned to her human state. Unfortunately, this left naked as the day she was born.

But now that she was far enough away from the Organization, from her home, and from her sister, the emotional dam Luciela had painstakingly constructed was shattered by the gravity of the situation she found herself in.

She had become an Awakened Being! She had massacred her fellow warriors! She had even wounded her own baby sister! Now she was going to be hunted down like an animal and put down like one. There was also Rafaela; because of her sisters' massive blunder, there was no telling what the Men in Black would do to her…

Oh god.

Luciela's eyes turned golden once again. The possibilities of what the Organization was going to do to her sister were making her protective instincts, and her rage, come to the surface. Going back to Staff was probably suicide, but she had decimated over half the current generation.

Yes, she was going to go back, and she was going save her sister from whatever dark fate the Organization had set for her. Luciela would convince Rafaela to Awaken, and together they would conquer these lands and rule as sisters.

Yes…that was what their destiny was. To rule as Sibling Queens.

"Hi there!"

Luciela whipped around and saw a young boy standing on top of a rock, wearing what looked to be noble wears. She took special note of the overly amicable smile on the boy's face, and his mixed hair-color. The Abyssal One recalled a warning from her teachers about Perseus: he was known for his wide smile. Luciela didn't think it was possible for a human to grin that wide anyway.

"I couldn't help but notice a really big cat scramble into this valley, so I just had to come and see what it was for myself. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the big cat was actually just a really pretty woman!"

Luciela narrowed her eyes at the child. She wasn't buying this for a second, and something about that boy was off. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The boy's smile lessened into a smirk and his eyes cracked open, just wide enough for Luciela to see that he had heterochromia. The right eye was a beautiful green, while the left eye…was _silver!?_

"I am Perseus of the Wide Smile, and I want you to be my Southern General."

Luciela's world seemed to freeze as she processed what she heard. This boy was the Leviathan. He was the one responsible for her and her sister's drastic mistake. He was the one responsible for the White Massacre, and the death of Roxanne, which in turn made the Organization perform the experiment in the first place. This boy was the one responsible for her transformation into this monster, and responsible for whatever the Organization did to her beloved Rafaela.

" _ **I will fucking murder you!"**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _ **I will fucking murder you!"**_

Well that's just rude. All he did was offer her a place as a general in his army. Maybe he was too sudden with his offer? Maybe he should've gotten to know her better, like taking her on an outing or something. Yeah, he probably should've introduced her to the army first, let her get to know the people she would be working with.

But that still didn't warrant this brat trying murder him.

Perseus watched amused as Luciela's yellow colored Yoki swirled to life around her. Two thick, monstrous tails sprouted from her tail bone, each one covered in fanged maws. Her fingers grew into claws, her face became flatter, and a thin line opened up on her chin. Bone-like plates began to sprout from her back, elbows, and knees. Luciela screamed and a shockwave of yellow colored energy reduced the small mountain to rubble.

Perseus vanished in a burst of speed before the shockwave hit him, and reappeared about five hundred yards away, all of his clothes removed and neatly folded. He didn't want them torn up from the coming battle, he liked those clothes.

He didn't need his eyes to tell that Luciela was currently charging at him. Just before she was twenty feet away, the Leviathan assumed his true form in a large burst of power fitting for one of his strength. Then he uppercutted the Demon-Cat in her…lower chin. She righted herself in midair and her tail came crashing down at him.

The Leviathan smirked, his needle-like teeth glinting in the sunlight, as he caught the tails. His smirk became a full-blown grin when the flesh he was grabbing shifted into a pair of mouths ready to bite his hands off.

At least, if he was still there.

Despite his large size (four meters, to be exact), he was quite fast. He materialized some ways off to his left, and jabbed his right arm up at Luciela. His fingers shot forward, elongating instantly, acting like lances, as they soared up the airborne Abyssal. Instead of turning her into a shish kebob, multiple mouths opened up across the flesh of Luciela, making his finger-lances fly right through her body without any damage.

The mouths clamped shut, biting and severing his fingers clean off. _'Impressive. Her mouths are strong enough to bite through my flesh, at least my fingers anyway. A praise-worthy feat nonetheless.'_ The Leviathan thought approvingly.

Luciela barely landed before she was in his face, claw reared back to slice through his face. All of the air, and a bit of purple blood, went flying out of her mouth when Perseus punched her in the stomach. The he punched her in the face, and the shockwave from the blow not only cracked the earth, but it sent the Demon-Cat on a one-way-ticket flight across the landscape.

She crashed and dug a wide trench into the earth as she finally came to a stop. Luciela growled lightly as she struggled to get up. Those last two hits had _hurt_ ; she spared regularly with her sister, who was almost equal to her in terms of strength, and Rafaela had never been able to cause such damage.

She looked up as she heard the lightly-thudding footsteps of the Leviathan as he approached.

An unexplainable anger blossomed in Luciela's chest. She didn't know what she was angry at, but her Yoki began to rise because of it. As the bastard continued to approach without hesitation, despite her growing aura, Luciela realized what she was angry about: she was angry at herself.

She was angry at how weak she was. She wasn't strong enough to save her parents. She wasn't strong enough to protect her twin brother. She wasn't strong enough to save herself and her little sister from becoming Silver-Eyed Witches. She wasn't strong enough to keep herself and Rafaela from failing! And she wasn't strong enough, _to win this fight!_

" _ **RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"**_

Yellow Yoki poured out around Luciela. Cracks spread through the ground for over fifty meters, and another super-surge ripped massive blocks of earth into air, and crushed them. As her power increased, so too did her fury. She would kill this knave, and then rule this land.

The Lord of the Abyss nodded in approval. This one was more than worthy of being his Southern General. He just had to beat her into submission, apparently. But that would cause her to resent him, and then he would have the possibility of another coupe on his hands. Then again, Isley, Riful, and his army would probably prevent that from happening.

Still, he wanted to avoid a disloyal general.

" **It's because of you, that I'm this monster!"** Luciela screamed and she blurred forward, her fist colliding with the Leviathan's with concussive force. The two monsters' fists began to clash again and again, each blow creating a shockwave that shattered hardened rock and dirt.

Perseus had once read that two warriors of high power could communicate through their fists, and call it sappy, but he was beginning to understand the mindset of Luciela. She blamed him for what she had become, and wanted revenge for herself, and for her sister. She was protective, and viewed him as the primary threat to her and her sister's lives.

Good. All he had to do was prove he wasn't a threat…technically speaking.

He caught Luciela's next punch, and the one after that. The Demon-Cat's tails speared toward him, but the Lord's own tentacles burst from his back and wrapped the tails. Before Luciela could get her mouths to start working, Perseus sucked the Yoki out of her appendages, making them dry out and turn to dust.

The Leviathan locked eyes with the taller Awakened, **"Your anger is misplaced. You blame me for the power you call a curse. If you hate your power so, then direct your ire to those who cut you open and put it in you."** The fight was beginning to leave Luciela's eyes as Perseus continued with his speech, **"You fear for your sister, Rafaela-"** Luciela hissed at the mention of her sister- **"Join me and I will not only guarantee her protection, but I will allow you the opportunity to reap vengeance against those who have caused you such pain…"**

Luciela was silent as she considered the offer presented to her by the Lord of the Abyss. **"You said you can guarantee my sister's protection. How?"**

" **Over the past ninety years, I have raised an army. An army split into two units: the Northern Regiment, and the Western Regiment. I'm sure you can figure out who the generals are. After all, they are called the Abyssal Ones."**

Luciela's golden eyes widened. So that's what the scouts have been reporting to have sensed over the years. A growing army…so what did he want with her?

" **I want you to be the general of the Southern Regiment. Together with your sister as your lieutenant, I will provide you with you the personnel to form your part of the army. It will be up to you to train them and command them, but you will obey my orders…without question.**

" **My goal is to conquer. With my army and my generals at my side, I will crush the Organization and all those that oppose us. I will reward those loyal to me with whatever it is that they desire."** He let go of Luciela's arms and retracted his tentacles; the Abyssal One fell to her knees, her head swimming. The Lord of the Abyss extended his clawed hand, **"Will you join me?"**

Luciela thought about it for an eternity…before grasping the offered hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus kept his word. It was rather hilarious, actually, when he extracted Rafaela from Staff. The looks on everyone's faces when popped in, grabbed the girl, said hi, and then vanished in a burst of speed. Good to know that Dae and Rimuto were still alive and kicking.

After he delivered Rafaela to the Southern General, he hauled ass to Rabona, hopped the wall, located his cult (who were really happy to see him), and took them all down south to Mucha. Upon arrival, he was happy to see that his newest general's sister had embraced the Yoma side and Awakened.

Like the other lieutenants, she wasn't overly humongous or powerful, but she was more than strong enough to claim the title of Number 2. She grew to two meters in height, keeping her lithe physique. Her short spike hair turned into a mass of thin, fleshy tendrils that changed color. Her arms and legs became covered in scales that were a dark green color, while her breasts and stomach turned a darker tan than her original paleness. Her fingers became the customary claws found in all Yoma. Small black spines lined the edge of her face, and two long black spikes ran from her wrist, tight to past her elbow. She could flip those across her arm and boom, instant short swords. She also had a long, thin tail sprouting from mid-back, that she could use as a whip.

Overall, she looked like a demonic chameleon.

Now his army was complete. He had generals in all corners of the continent. He had army of ninety-one Awakened Beings. The Organization only had forty-seven at any given time, but they no doubt had some secret weapons. Luciela and Rafaela were proof that the monkeys were getting smarter, better.

The Abyssal Lord didn't want a war. He wanted one-sided annihilation. To accomplish that, he would a few more years, possibly just another decade or two, let his army flourish and grow even more powerful than it already was. He wanted to march on Staff and smell the fear that radiated from the Claymores. He wanted to watch them tremble in terror, to see them soil themselves in horror, he wanted to burn in his memory the looks of despair on the younger generation's faces as his army at them alive.

In the meantime, he supposed, he would just travel the continent, see the sights, meet some people, convert some Claymores. Something told the Leviathan that an event was due to happen in the coming years. An instinct telling him to be prepared for something world-shattering.

When he was combing over Staff, reading the Yoki auras of the little brats, he noticed one that felt _disturbingly_ familiar to his own. There was one thing that made Perseus so unique, and for the Organization to do it to another Claymore was…exciting.

Maybe _now_ he'd face a worthy opponent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _18 years after the completion of the Awakened Army_

 _Perseus biological age: 110_

 _Rockwell Hill_

The current generation, the 76th, was being slaughtered by its own Number 1, Elegant Hysteria. Perseus and his three generals watched from afar, from the side of an overlooking mountain. They had got wind of a Claymore with a speed technique that was unrivaled, and Perseus had come and got them all, leaving the Regiments in the hands of the lieutenants…which probably explained why Riful was a nervous wreck at the moment.

They were gathered here as a sign of good faith on their leader's behalf. What better way to show trust than to allow them to witness the recruiting of a new Abyssal One?

"She shows much promise," Luciela said.

"Indeed. She is definitely skilled, especially with her technique," Riful chimed.

Isley was the last to offer his opinion, "Her skill with the blade is something I haven't seen in generations. A master indeed. What do you think, Perseus?"

The Abyssal Lord sat on the edge of the mountain path, his feet dangling off the edge to the jagged stone hundreds of feet below. "Hmmmm…she has ego bigger than Dauf's fully erect penis, something Riful can attest to, and she possesses a level of vanity that almost rivals the amount of Yoki I have. And then there's also the fact that she's killing her own comrades for no other reason than…she doesn't want to be executed."

Isley and Luciela chuckled at the blushing Riful, but all of them payed close attention the Leviathan's words. Their leader's value of loyalty was something he took very seriously, and when Isley and Riful realized that he didn't see them as mere pawns to be cast aside once he was done with them, they both decided that a rebellion was pointless, so they stopped trying and became the Lord's loyal generals. So if he didn't like Hysteria's loyalty level, there was a good chance the Claymore would become a steaming pile somewhere in the forest.

"I can understand not wanting to die," Perseus continued, "I can understand not wanting to die because I'm about to Awaken, but killing others for just doing their job is not something I condone. If Hysteria survives this, I'm killing her myself. You guys can divide the scraps amongst yourselves."

Yep, despite being really old Awakened Beings, they still needed to eat about once every five years or so.

While his generals may have been watching the Number 1, Perseus had his eyes glued to the young one, the blonde with the wavy hair, and the faint, almost unnoticeable smile on her face. She was the one the Abyssal Lord had sensed that day, when Luciela had Awakened.

The one with the Asarakam planted within her.

Marvelous. Now he could get to see how well his 'sibling' could do in the heat of battle. Her tag-team with the Number 4 was impressive, definitely a powerful combo. Those two would be good friends one day.

Yes…

Yes…

Excellent…

 _Superb…!_

The new girl was going to be powerful indeed. At such a low rank, she was able to deal a debilitating blow to a Number 1 ranked warrior. As for Hysteria, with her legs as damaged as they are now, her Elegance was now a nonfactor in the chances of survival. The potential Abyssal One was cut into pieces by both the new girl, and the Number 4.

"Huh…never saw that one coming," Riful chirped.

Luciela bobbed her head, "Yep, and if you'll all excuse me, I'll be heading back to the South now." When no one said otherwise, the Demon-Cat vanished in a blur. The Red-Eyed Witch soon followed.

The Silver King lingered a while longer, "That girl, the one who struck Hysteria in the legs…she is like you, isn't she?" Elaboration was not needed among these two, Perseus knew what his old friend was asking.

A simple nod of the head was all Isley needed for confirmation, before he too, vanished back to the North.

The Lord of the Abyss stayed, watching as the survivors talked and congratulated each other on living. His attention was focused on the girl though. Her potential was great, as well as her threat level. Perseus had been around for a long time, and become something of an expert when came to reading people.

The girl was a sensor that had only one rival: him. The Asarakam flesh that was used to create them made them far stronger than the average Claymore, boosting all of their inherent abilities to maximum. Those abilities were only strengthened by using their Yoki.

Perseus began to leak out some of his Yoki as a tease, just to test the girl's sensory prowess. He was not disappointed, at just 2% she could sense him. Her head whipped towards his direction, and even from this far off, he could still lock eyes with her.

Green and Silver with a Wide Smile, met Twin Silver with a faint smile.

A connection was formed at that moment. Teresa didn't know it, and neither did Perseus, but when they met face-to-face, it would be like siblings reuniting after years of being apart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Luciela had become the Abyssal of the South. Her lieutenant is her own younger sister, whose Awakened form was Inspired by her Yoki suppression and a chameleon. Teresa has been introduced, and through the Asarakam, the powerful beings now feel a bond such as that of brother and sister.**_

 _ **Next time: Terror! Those of the Faint and Wide Smiles!**_


	8. Terror! Those of the FaintWide Smiles!

_Terror! Those of the Faint and Wide Smiles!_

 _ **Welcome back to Leviathan. In this chapter, Perseus will meet his 'sister,' build a relationship and begin canon! Finally…**_

 _ **School's out for me and I passed all my classes with A's, so expect a lot more updates, a whole lot sooner.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Claymore or Percy Jackson._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _3 years after Rockwell Hill Massacre_

 _Perseus biological age: 113_

 _Western Toulouse_

Teresa of the Faint Smile, named for the slight twitch of her lips when she fought, was currently on her way back to her handler after her most recent mission. It was pathetically easy, all she had to do was kill the trio of Yoma that were nestled in a nearby town. It was funny really, the creatures thought they could hide by posing as a cute bunch of children.

The townspeople freaked the hell out when she waltzed in through the gates and cut them down.

They tried to mob Teresa, but after the corpses turned into their true forms, everyone seemed to die on the inside. How could such innocent children be such blood-thirsty monsters? The Faint Smile didn't stay long after that, only pausing to make sure the head of the town knew who to give the money to. What did the Organization even need money for, anyway?

It didn't really matter to the Number 1. What she was more interested in, however, was the child that had a small Yoki aura that was following her. It wasn't like she didn't notice him; she had been aware of his presence ever since she left the town. The only reason she didn't kill the Yoma behind her was the fact that his aura felt very similar to her own.

He didn't seem to be hostile. He actually seemed just as curious as she was. Interesting, a Yoma that didn't have guts on the brain at all times. Another thing Teresa noticed was just how well this one was able to hide his aura. If he wasn't making it so that she could sense him, the Faint Smile probably would've written him off as a curious human.

That raised another question: why did he want her to sense him?

Getting bored of the secrecy, Teresa stopped her trek, the boy stopping behind her, and she turned around to face him. He was young, probably around twelve or thirteen. He was wearing clothes that looked to belong to someone of noble birth, his hair a strange mix of black and white, parted in the middle and tied into a short, low-hanging ponytail.

When Teresa looked into the eyes of the boys, something resonated within her. Something familiar, something powerful, something _familiar…_ in those heterochromic orbs.

By the look in those eyes, this child felt the same as she did.

"What is your name, little one?" Teresa finally asked.

The boy was silent, before his face broke into a wide smile, "Perseus! What's yours?"

The Number 1 smiled faintly, "That's a wonderful name. I am Teresa of the-"

"The Faint Smile, yes. I've…kinda known about you for a long time," Perseus said somewhat nervously.

Teresa's smile didn't change, "And I've known about you for a long time as well…Leviathan. You were there that night at Rockwell Hill."

Perseus nodded, still grinning, "Yep. You feel it, don't you? I feel like I know you…and I'm pretty sure you do to."

Teresa nodded, "Yes. Despite you being my sworn enemy, I can't help but feel as if you are related to me in some way."

Perseus' grin somehow got wider, "I have a theory on that, Big Sis. Wanna hear it?"

Teresa's smile became faintly wider at being called 'Big Sis,' "Go ahead. What's your theory?"

"Ever heard of the Asarakam?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few hours later, night time_

Teresa and Perseus made it to the rendezvous location with the Man in Black, who Perseus had learned was named Orsay. The man wore a full body cloak with a hood, but his tan skin and pupil-less purple eyes were still visible.

In a rather amicable mood, Perseus had decided to have some fun with the handler. He was riding on top of Teresa's shoulders, sword in hand. Teresa's face was set in stone, though there was hidden mirth in her silver eyes.

Orsay's jaw unhinged when he saw the spectacle.

"Evening my good sir!" Perseus called out in a fake accent. "Am I to assume that are the gentleman by the wonderful name of Orsay?"

The Man in Black made a sound between a squeak and word.

"Excellent! Would you be so kind, my good sir, as to point us in the direction of our next destination?"

Orsay finally got his mouth working, "T-Teresa! What…what is going on here? Who is this?" He flinched when Perseus drove the sword down in between him and the Number 1's face, "Excuse me? Do you not see me up here?" Orsay looked up at the child on the Claymore's shoulders…and his eyes widened when he saw the _silver and green eyes._

"Look at me." Orsay couldn't look away. "Look at me, I am the captain now. Now tell us, where our next assignment is, or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck!"

Orsay didn't know where such a threat came from, but his shocked mind told the child where to go next, "The town of Gami, one day to the north."

"The Town of Gami, you say? Very well then," Perseus picked up the sword and thrust it forward, "Onward my steed, to the Town of Gamy!" Teresa sped off into the night a dust cloud trailing behind her. Orsay swore he heard a childlike shout of 'for Narnia!' fade into the distance.

The fuck did he just witness?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _1 day later_

 _Town of Gami (which is made up)_

Perseus and Teresa walked in through the front door, holding each other's hands. It made a lot of people turn their heads. Since when did Silver-Eyed Witches travel with young children?

"You go have fun now, but I expect you back here five minutes."

"Yes, Big Sis."

Wait… _huh!?_ 'Big sis'?

The boy disappeared, and everyone began to panic. Then there was the sound of tearing flesh and someone screaming. The peoples' heads turned toward the sound, and they were horrified to see that child was holding a purple heart in his hand, the body of a man lying dead at his feet with a hole in his back.

Before more panic could ensue, the Claymore's brat was gone again, and a woman was suddenly split in half, spraying purple all over the place. This time, screams tore across the Town of Gami, which looked like every other godforsaken village on this continent. People began to stampede, not noticing the fraternal twins trying to sneak away.

The boy reappeared in front of them startling a lot of people. Then he shoved his hands through the twins' chests, ripping out their purple hearts. The 'siblings' collapsed on the ground.

Everyone stood frozen at the sight of the boy whose arms were covered in purple blood…wait, _purple_ blood? Only Yoma had purple blood! Looking back at the corpses, the townspeople were shocked to see that the bodies had become those of the Demons.

"Now let's see," the boy tapped his cheek, painting it purple, "There was one more…" -he looked around before his eyes settled on a young man of about twenty-five- "There you are!" The man yelped before his body changed shape. The people nearby scrambled away from the revealed Yoma.

Before the beast could do anything, the boy was literally crouching on its shoulder, his small hands wrapped the Yoma's chin…and then he pulled off the head with a sickening squelching sound.

The boy vanished and reappeared in front of the Claymore, presenting the Yoma's ripped off head to the woman, "Look, Sis! I got you a present!"

The Claymore's eyes closed as she smiled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Excellent work! I've always wanted a Yoma head; I'll take it to a taxidermist and mount it on my wall." The Claymore took the head and then sternly looked over the stunned crowd, "Alright. I need someone to tell me where the nearest bathhouse is so my little brother here can go wash up. He smells like the ass of an overused harlot."

One person was curious enough to ask, "How do you know what an overused harlot's ass smells like?"

"Some questions are better left unanswered."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A week later_

 _At a hotel in some backwater village_

Teresa and Perseus were both trying in vain to fall asleep in a bed. Their backs were pressed against each other, their bodies without clothes. Neither one of them were ashamed, their minds not seeing the other in that light.

They were made from the same being. The flesh of the same Asarakam was used in their creation. Essentially, they were almost the same person. The bond between the Faint and Wide smiles was one that was beyond siblings, yet would never be on the level of lovers. **(sorry folks)**

"Well," Perseus said after about an hour of lying there, "this is some shit." Teresa was inclined to agree. In a flurry of movement, the Leviathan was wearing his trousers, and the Faint Smile was wearing her uniform minus her armor. Teresa stabbed her sword into the wood floor.

She sat down against it, and Perseus lied down on her right, his head in her lap. His 'sister' began to idly stroke his hair.

"What happened on Godahl Plateau?" the Leviathan asked. Teresa's smile made its way onto her face as she recalled the events of that day. "I was coming back from my latest assignment, when Orsay handed me a black card. You know what a black card is, right?"

Perseus gave her a look, "It's not like I wasn't a Claymore, too, y'know."

Teresa ruffled his hair a bit harder than usual, "Orsay handed me the black card of Rosemary, the current Number 2 of that time. She and I used to be friends, before I overtook her as the Number 1. Her jealousy proved to be her downfall. She had Awakened sometime prior, and planned to lure me into a trap."

"She failed," Perseus said simply.

"That she did," Teresa affirmed. "Her plan was to take me into a secluded area, away from any people. She believed that her Awakened Form would be enough to kill me. She was powerful, strong enough to be considered a serious threat to anyone else. She and I fought, and I allowed her the advantage at first, to try and understand what her motives were. When I discovered that she was only doing this out of jealousy and a misguided sense of morality, I activated 10% of Yoki and cut her down. Her last words to me was that I was a monster." Teresa's smile was mixed with wistfulness and sadness.

"I don't think you're a monster."

The Number 1 pulled the boy up into her lap and kissed him on the forehead. "You are unlike anybody I've ever met."

It was almost strange. Here she was, treating one of the oldest and most powerful beings on the continent as if he were just a child. _Almost_ strange. "I told you my story, now tell me yours. It's always been a resounding question of why you Awakened."

Perseus shrugged his shoulders as he looked into the eyes of his 'sister,' "There isn't some complex reason. There's not some big story behind. I just wanted to. I got bored with being the Organization's pet project, and decided to do everything I could to screw them over."

"Is that why you made an army?"

Perseus smiled into his sister's chest. "Yep," his voice was only slightly muffled, "are you going to do anything about it? The end game _is_ genocide of the Claymores and the Men in Black." He looked up into Teresa's glowing eyes, "Are you going to stop us?"

Teresa's smile grew ever so larger, "Not at all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Four days later_

 _Some town_

The full moon glowed brightly overhead as Teresa butchered a group of Yoma that had been terrorizing this place. The civilians watched in a mix of awe and horror as they witnessed a Claymore in action.

After the Number 1 was finished, mutterings and not so hushed whispers broke out among the common folk.

Teresa sheathed her sword as the town leader came up behind her with a young man at his side, a large bag of money in the man's arms, "Um…excuse me. Thank for all that you've done for us…we have your fee here-"

"Keep it," Teresa cut him off. "A stranger in black will arrive soon after I am gone. Give it to him, then."

"Our town sees strangers every day! If we give it to the wrong man, how will you know?" the leader asked in panic.

" _I_ wouldn't. But if my associate doesn't receive the fee, know this: from then on, no matter how many Yoma plague your village, no matter how desperately you beg, we will not respond." Teresa turned her head to look at the man, "Once there was a village that had failed to pay. They were wiped out by a horde of Yoma in less than a month. You hear stories like that all the time."

"W-we'll pay, Claymore! We'll pay, I swear it!" the man said in panic.

Teresa smiled. She loved messing with humans like this. It broke the monotony of her boring life. Well, her brother had been a pleasant change of pace.

"Good. Then your town should have nothing to fear."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus met Teresa at the village gates. The two grasped hands and began to walk away from the terrified citizens. Orsay was waiting for them about a mile away.

The Man in Black had grown used to the sight of Teresa and her pet walking so closely together. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out their relationship, and every time he tried, his head began to hurt. He had seen them walking side by side, seen them with the boy on Teresa's shoulders, seen them with the boy being held like a bride, seen them with the boy being held by Teresa as if he were an infant, seen them with Teresa holding the boy to her hip, he had even Teresa and the boy switch positions with everything he just thought of!

Mother-son? Mistress-pet? Sister-brother? Really good friends? The true nature of their relationship escaped Orsay, but there was nothing against the Claymores having a human companion, no matter the age or gender. As long as the Claymore realized that the human was their responsibility, and realized that the death of the human meant their death as well, then everything was fine.

It was like giving a child a puppy and tying their fates together.

Anyway, it was business time, "Your next assignment is in Theo, two days to the west. You are two find the Yoma, kill them, and then report back to me for your next assignment. That is all."

Teresa saluted him with her free hand, the boy also saluting him with his free hand. It almost made Orsay laugh, but he didn't exactly have a sense of humor. "Of course, sir." The two of them turned around and began their walk to the Village of Theo.

As Orsay watched them leave, he internally debated what the child was. That silver eyes of his was undoubtedly that of a Claymore, which shouldn't have been possible, and that green eye of his…that shade of green was the same color of the Wide Smile's before Dae turned him into a Claymore.

Just who was the boy? What secrets did he hold?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Town of Theo_

 _Two days later_

Perseus watched from a rooftop as his Big Sis painted the streets purple with blood of the Yoma. The sight made him hungry. He hadn't eaten in almost a year now, and humans barely qualified as a snack, and animals had the satisfying value as the hair he breathed. But alas, feasting on the morsels below in broad daylight would not be a smart thing to do. It would make the people question both why a child was eating Yoma, and why the Claymore wasn't doing anything about it.

He didn't want to make a scene with his Big Sis around.

Now that was interesting; it wasn't every day that a Yoma kept a little girl for a shield. Deciding to have a little fun for himself, Perseus silently leaped from his rooftop vantage point, and landed behind the seventh Yoma with a sound inversely proportionate to that of an explosion.

Teresa made a show of looking for the seventh Yoma, but she was surprised when she saw Percy standing right behind the beast. She always did have a hard time sensing her sibling's Yoki aura.

Looking into her brother's eyes, Teresa got the message, and played along nicely, "Ah. There you are. Hiding behind a little girl? That's something I've never seen before. However, you shouldn't be worried about me. You should be worried about the person standing behind you."

Perseus grinned when he felt the shock that rippled through the Yoma's body. The Yoma slowly turned his human head to look behind him, coming face-to-face with closed eyes and a blindingly white smile.

"Hello!"

Perseus thrust his hand into a place on the Yoma's spine, but he didn't penetrate its body. All was silent for a moment…before the Yoma's guts exploded from his stomach, all over the poor girl in front of him. Everyone besides him, the girl, and Teresa screamed at the top of their lungs.

' _What is this? An opera?'_ Perseus thought annoyed. All that sound hurt his sensitive ears. No longer wishing to be in the presence of song-birds sent from Hell, Perseus disappeared. He would come back tonight, when everyone was sleeping.

Before he vanished, however, the girl turned around and looked him in the eye. Perseus knew that look, he had seen it many times when he saved humans from becoming lunch, and he was _not_ going to deal with it from a brat, "If you want to thank someone, thank the one with the giant sword."

The girl looked at Teresa, frowned at her silver eyes, but not in disapproval, and looked back the strange boy, only to gasp in surprise. He was gone!

Teresa also frowned. What game was Perseus playing at now?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next day_

Perseus was once again on a rooftop, suppressing his power to as much as he could. He didn't want Teresa to sense him, if she did, she would've acted differently for what was about to transpire.

Teresa walked out of the inn she was staying at, and was greeted by the town's leader. It was the usual 'we-have-your-fee-give-it-to-the-man-in-black' routine that was almost scripted by this point. The main difference was the little girl that was grabbing Teresa's cape.

As predicted, the Faint Smile whipped it away, causing the girl to tumble to the ground. Teresa asked the leader what he knew of the girl which to led a shit-ton of exhibition that Perseus didn't listen to. He was more interested in the child.

The girl stood back up, and actually _hugged_ Teresa. That was something only he was allowed to do, and the girl payed for it by being knocked back on her ass. Teresa told the girl that she was not her friend, savior, or anything. She asked the leader if the girl was sane, which lead to more exhibition.

The girl took a step towards Teresa, but was threatened by the Number 1. The crowd broke into mutterings, having a 'silent' debate over whether or not to interfere as well, but he still needed to _know._

Perhaps foolishly, perhaps bravely, or perhaps by something else, the girl took another step closer to absolute danger…and was kicked in the face. Teresa bid the towns people adieu and made her exit. Perseus however, felt every bit of his 113 years.

While many didn't know, just because of how he acted, the Lord of the Abyss was wise. He had been among humans for decades, seen many good things, seen many bad things. One could say that he was human himself, but that would've been a lie. What he had just witnessed was a testament to his experience. He didn't see a little girl trying to cling to a would-be hero; no, he saw a young woman trying to comfort a hurting soul.

That child was special. Perseus had no doubt that she would do something to Teresa that he never could, or would ever try to attempt: make her feel human.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that night_

Teresa was sitting against her sword, a small fire providing light and warmth for the clearing she had found in the woods. She wondered where that little imp of a sibling she had, had run off to. It wasn't like him to just disappear. Of course, Teresa supposed, he had probably gone off to handle that army of his.

She was curious about that. Did she care that her little brother was going to slaughter every warrior on the continent? Nope, not one bit. She didn't like the others, and she liked the handlers even less. Still, she was a Claymore, and as the Number 1, was most likely the prime target for annihilation in the coming battle.

That brought Teresa to another line of thinking. Which side was she going to be on? She didn't particularly care to stand against an army of monsters headed by her brother, but she didn't want to become a flesh-craving monster either. She highly doubted she could continue living as a warrior after the proverbial flood had swept this continent clean, but she did have a personal connection with Awakened Army's leader…

A twig snapped about fifteen meters away.

' _Shouldn't that girl be wetting her bed instead of bothering me?'_

Teresa vanished in a blur and the girl flinched when cold metal was suddenly resting on her shoulder. "I commend you for keeping up with me for as long as you have, but I can't have you following me anymore. I already told you once, I didn't kill those Yoma to rescue, I simply did it because it was my duty. I tolerated you in the village, but you've begun to annoy me. So if you wish, I can help you join your precious Yoma," Teresa finished coldly.

That's when a man fell from the leaves.

Teresa grabbed the girl, and jumped away, "A Yoma? But how did I not sense their presence before?" Another man came out of the tree behind her, and Teresa whirled around…but stopped just in time to avoid committing the ultimate warrior taboo. "Humans…!"

A man tried to grab the girl, but Teresa sliced his hand off. "Don't you dare touch her…" she growled. The man fell to his knees, moaning and groaning in pain.

"Claymore!"

"A Silver-Eyed Witch."

"Bandits, is it?" Teresa asked rhetorically. "You'll find that I have no possessions worth stealing. Now you should tend to this man's injuries…he has very little time left to live." Personally, she didn't care whether this man lived or not. As if any of today's warriors posed any threat to her.

That when the pompous human made his presence known to the readers, "His death would create a real problem for you, am I right?" The man was in his late twenties, had his thin, black hair parted, exposing his _gigantic_ forehead that had two studs on the far right side, above his eye. He wore a red shirt, with shoulder plates on top, and average trousers. The hilt of a sword was visible above his left shoulder. "Imagine my surprise at finding a Claymore so deep in my forest…and such an attractive one at that."

Teresa instantly detested this fool, but she hid her emotions well. This man _reeked_ of arrogance and stupidity.

"Boss," said a man in a turban, "This is a Silver-Eyed Witch we're dealing with here. You had better watch your step." At least that one had some brains.

The boss closed his eyes, "I'm not concerned. This witch will do us no more harm, you'll see." He looked into Teresa's eyes, "All Claymores are forbidden from killing humans, accidently or otherwise. So don't mistake her concern for our friend. She is simply afraid of being punished for breaking their most important law." Wrong this one was.

"For such a crime, she would be beheaded by one of her fellow witches," the boss drew his finger across his neck to emphasize his point. "Very little separates these mixed breeds from the Yoma. It benefits them to appear to have respect for human life. Without, who's to say they're on our side at all?" Teresa laughed internally. The Organization _wasn't_ on their side; this entire continent was a testing site for Awakened Beings and Claymores. Protecting humans was only a cover up.

"Oh really?" asked a slime-ball. "Why should we be afraid of such a pretty little thing?" asked another.

Before anything else could be said, a loud, hyena-like laughter echoed throughout the foliage, silencing all. The bandits looked around in confusion and fear, the girl clung to Teresa, and the Number 1 was probing for the Yoki aura of the one laughing. She found it slightly concerning that she couldn't sense her little brother.

The laughter died down, and all sound in the forest ceased. The silence was deafening, and all-encompassing. Bandits reached for their swords, the girl buried her face in Teresa's side, and the man with the new stump had fallen unconscious.

Then the sound of crunching grass cut through the silence like a knife. The sound came from all around, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"Uh, Boss? What's going on?" asked the bandaged bandit.

The Boss grit his teeth, "How should I know? I'm as in the know as you all are!"

"You know what's unfortunate about all of this?" a new, childlike voice said from behind the bandit leader. The men all jumped away from the voice, which belonged to a young boy. Confidence returned when that was revealed, but was it was quickly dashed upon the boy's next words. "While my sister can't kill any of you without being punished," heterochromic eyes glowed in the dark, "I can eat your warm bodies and still be hungry after only a pile of skeletons remain." Some bandits were sick, others gasped, one man fainted.

"So what's it going to be boys? Dinner time or running time?"

The bandits hauled ass into the darkness.

"Well that was fun." Perseus turned his eyes towards Teresa and the girl, "so what have you two been doing lately?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next day_

Teresa and Perseus walked along the top of a cliff, no clear destination in mind. The girl stumbled along behind them, her body dehydrated and clothes in a mess. She collapsed not long after.

Teresa looked at her over her shoulder, "I admire your determination, but even so, everyone has their limits." The she hopped off the cliff down to the ground below. The girl looked tiredly up at Perseus. The Awakened Being shrugged, "Feel free to follow us, kid. Just don't blame us if you break your neck."

Then he, too, hopped off the cliff.

When he landed, he looked at Teresa, "She's going to follow us."

The Number 1 scoffed, "Please. Surely she is not the dumb-"

"She's falling." The Faint Smile's gaze snapped up to the cliff and, sure enough, the nuisance was actually coming down after them. She landed on a tree branch, broke it, landed on a rock, bounced off the rock, and slammed into the ground. She tried to get back up, but her body was drained.

Teresa felt the unexplained panic inside of her die away. Foolish little human, she was going to leave her there, but her way was blocked by the grinning form of her sibling, "And what are you smiling at?"

"Oh nothing," the Leviathan dismissed. "So, you gonna leave her here, or what?"

Teresa's eye twitched. How dare he make her feel guilty! "I'm going to leave her there, and you cannot convince me otherwise."

The grin got wider, "Bandits~."

Goddammit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teresa threw the girl into a pond. "That was rude." The Faint Smile ignored her brother. The girl popped out of the water moments later, gasping for breath.

"You're lucky to be alive," Teresa said. "the water looks clean enough for drinking. Dehydration was as much the reason for your collapse as your little tumble back there." The girl dipped her head back into the water and began to drink. "You're starting to smell like corpse. The scent of Yoma blood is thick on your body-" she sent a pointed look at Perseus, who looked back innocently- "It's been making me gag ever since we left the village."

"I thought she smelled nice…" Teresa whacked him on the head, before readdressing the girl. "So scrub your skin and clothes clean. I want you smelling like a flower when you're done." The Faint and Wide Smiles looked at the girl's back. There were many scars. Teresa's cynical thoughts began to surface, and Perseus thought the girl looked cute.

The girl finished her bath and climbed out of the water, clad in only her underwear. The fact that she wasn't panicking about being exposed in front of a boy like that, was further proof of the Yoma's machinations.

Teresa handed the girl a rather large fruit. She tore into juicy thing with a gusto that reminded Perseus of Dauf. The Leviathan idly wondered if they were somehow related, but quickly threw that theory out the window. Riful would never allow her precious Dauf-y out of her sight, much less let him sire a child.

Perseus shivered at the thought of Sir Meathead procreating.

The Lord of the Abyss blinked when the girl offered him some of the fruit after Teresa denied it. Huh, potential dinner offering him what amounted to be a crumb. Well, food was food. Perseus' mouth opened impossibly wide, and he bit off half the fruit with a single bite. Then he swallowed it whole, his throat bulging as it shoved down the nutrients.

The girl giggled at the spectacle, something that made both Children of the Asarakam blink. This girl was truly something else.

Teresa laid down in the sun, "Here's the plan: I can take you with me as far as the next village. It is clear you cannot survive on your own, and would die without us, something I will not be held responsible for." The girl looked sad. Teresa looked at her, "Get some rest for the journey tomorrow. We've got quite a long hike ahead of us."

The girl still looked sad. "Don't worry, kid. We aren't going to leave you or anything," Perseus said. The girl looked slightly more reassured.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Morning of the next day_

The girl had the beginnings of tears in her eyes. They were gone! The Funny Boy and the Sad Lady weren't there like they said they would be…the sound of clanking metal drew the girl's attention to the approaching Sad Lady, who was holding a dead rabbit by the ears.

"I caught a little something for your breakfast. Man, I've forgotten how much a pain being human can be. Having to eat three or four times a day, just to function-" the girl buried her head in her Teresa's stomach. "What's this? Stop that."

The girl tightened her grip on the Sad Lady, afraid she would leave again. "Silly girl, didn't you hear me say that I wouldn't leave while you were sleeping? I'm always truthful because I have no need for deception, so you can trust me to speak honestly with you. Got that?"

"Weeeeeell, you two seem to be getting along smashingly. But since it seems that no one wants what I got for breakfast, I'll just throw this thing somewhere in the forest." The girl and Teresa turned around and looked up, respectively, and one felt their face go slack, while the other was just amused.

Strewn across Perseus' shoulder was a _massive_ brown bear that had to weigh at least 500 pounds. The thing was so huge, it defied physics that someone so small could carry that much extra weight. The girl further felt her mind go blank, when the Funny Boy actually hurled the bear away.

The girl swore she saw the bear turn into a star as it vanished into the sky.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trio was walking along a cliff-side, again, the trees providing them with shade. The girl stepped on a bad part of rock and almost fell to her death, but Perseus' arm snapped out and caught her arm. He easily hauled her back up to solid ground.

Teresa's heartbeat began to slow back down.

"It's a good thing you're a kid. Otherwise I would've wanted my money back from the pet shelter for false advertisement."

The girl giggled a little at the joke, and Teresa found herself smiling a little too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Night time bitches_

A fire was crackling, the girl was sleeping, Teresa was leaning on her sword, and Perseus was talking, "She's really gotten attached to you. I mean, she looks at you like you're her mother or something. It's kinda cute actually."

Teresa scoffed, "There's no way a child like her could possibly see me as a moth-"

"And you also see her as a daughter."

Teresa promptly shut her mouth. Indeed, she was beginning to see the girl as more than nuisance, she was beginning to grow attached to the child. _'Is this…what a mother feels for her daughter?'_

Claymore didn't have relationships. Their bodies and reputations drove men away like they drove away Yoma. On the rare chance that a Claymore did become pregnant, the Organization either killed the fetus, killed the mother, killed both, or used the child for experiments that usually ended in failure.

It was these sorrowful tales that made almost all Claymores find relief in either fellow warriors…or their own fingers.

Teresa remembered a time when she looked forward to Awakened Being hunts, because it meant interaction and a chance to relieve some pent up frustration with another, equally frustrated warrior.

The Faint Smile looked over at her 'younger' brother, "During the time of men, how did you relieve tens-"

"During the time of men, there was nothing stopping us from doing whatever we wanted to do to human women."

Teresa blinked. "Oh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next morning_

"Ready to go, kid?"

The girl nodded happily and ran over to the Faint and Wide Smiles. "We can't keep calling you 'girl' and 'kid.' If only you could speak, you could tell us your name," said Teresa. The girl made a valiant attempt to talk, but all that came out was the incoherent babble commonly heard from in infants.

"Woah, whoa, kid, _kid._ Calm down before you hurt yourself. You'll get your voice back, but until then, please, do not make noises like a baby. I don't want to explain to some passersby why a fifteen-year-old sounds as intelligent as a one-year-old." Teresa whacked the Purple Butcher over the head. "Be nice," she looked at the girl, "don't worry about your voice. I think you sound lovely." The girl beamed.

"You still need a name to be called by. Let me think…"

"How about Chloe?"

"No."

"Licht?"

"No."

"Sistina? I like that one."

"I don't. So no."

"Lutecia?"

"Let's just name her Shit while we're at it."

"Why on earth would you name a person 'Shit'?" Teresa whacked him over the head. "How about Clare?" she asked. The girl frantically began trying to speak, desperately trying to convey her message.

"What? Are trying to tell me your name _is_ Clare?" The girl closed her eyes and nodded. "Well that settles it then; your name is Clare." Teresa's smile was clearly visible this time, "Clare is one of the twin god-"

"Twin Goddesses of Love, bluh bluh bluh bluh. That crap isn't even real. It's just a story some old man made up to entertain his grandchildren. Nothing more, nothing less. Now let's go to this next town!" Perseus took off running, kicking up a trail of dust.

Clare coughed the dirt out of her lungs, and Teresa pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. What was she going to do with that boy?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was more relationship building and comedy (I hope), but I enjoyed writing it. I thought it was cute. Perseus and Teresa are peas in a pod, bandits weren't complete idiots, and Clare is on her way to living the good life…**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	9. The Road to Hell

_The Road to Hell_

 _ **Not much to say here, other than shit gets real this chapter. I'll leave it up to y'all to figure out what that means…or you could just read. Y'know, whatever works best for you.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Outskirts of the Town of Rokut_

 _Perseus biological age: 113_

Teresa and Clare stood on the edge of a cliff. Far beneath them, nestled among the trees and mountains, was a quaint little village.

"There is the Town of Rokut. I can sense Percy already down there, but we'll arrive tomorrow morning," Teresa said. At Clare's sad look, the Faint Smile ruffled her head, "Don't worry. I won't leave you right away. We'll find someone nice to take care of you there."

Clare sniffed. She didn't care about Yoma, she didn't care danger, she just wanted to be with Teresa and Percy!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that night (I'm following the anime, bear with me)_

Teresa looked sadly at the sleeping girl on the other side of the crackling fire. She lamented on the fact that Clare would live a far better life with humans, than she would with a Claymore. A shame, the Faint Smile felt so warm when she was with the child. Was this what maternal love felt like?

A foul smell hit Teresa's nose like an Awakened Being.

The Number 1 got up and walked away into the darkness of the forest. Behind her stood the man from the previous chapter, the one whose arm was amputated. The bandages were saturated with blood, and were leaking crimson fluid all over the forest floor. The man was deranged, sick with infection from his poorly dressed wound.

Teresa fully expected the man to try and fight her, using the fact that she couldn't kill him to his advantage. The man did not do that. Instead, he did something much more evil: he tried to rape her.

The man's reasoning was surprisingly sound for one so damaged. His plan was to make her live with the shame of being violated. The humiliation of being defiled by a 'lowly' human. As the degenerate began to rip off the front of her uniform, Teresa closed her eyes and asked herself why she still protected monsters from monsters.

Then the man froze as he was it in the head by something, blood quickly flowing down his face. He stood and turned, glaring at the panting form of Clare. In rage, he punched the girl to the ground, and began to kick her. Teresa was up in a flash, and was a microsecond away from drawing the creature's sword…when Perseus fazed into existence.

The Faint Smile had never seen such fury in her life.

Perseus reached, lightly grabbing the tunic of the would-be rapist. The monster barely turned around before he was slammed into a tree. The wood cracked from the force, and the air left the cretin's lungs, but before he could hit the ground, a small hand clamped around his throat, holding him in place. Then that same hand slammed him up against the rest of the tree.

The man stared down into golden eyes, and he knew what fear was.

When Perseus spoke, it was like listening to a demon, **"You are the lowest form of life on this Earth. You are not even a human fucking being. You are nothing but a decaying piece of amphibian shit."** Perseus brought the whimpering worm close to his face, and all of his teeth sharpened to make a maw full of fangs. **"And do you know what happens to shit? It can either be scraped up with a shovel, it can dry up and blow away in the wind, or it can be stepped on…and squashed."**

Perseus threw the bipedal shit-sack onto the ground with enough force to leave an indent and break its rib cage. Before the anthropomorphic turd could even _scream,_ the Leviathan crushed its head like a grape.

Teresa shielded Clare's eyes from the sight.

Perseus breathed in and out to regain control of his Yoki. It always did act up when he got angry, and nothing made him angrier than seeing an insect try to take advantage of the goddess that was his sister. But now he was going to have to scrape off his boot.

Fucking humans. For such a remarkable species, they were so _disgusting._

"Sorry about that. I break my toys when I get too excited. I'll see you two back at Rokut, or whatever it's called these days." Perseus vanished in a blur.

After the Lord of the Abyss was gone, Clare broke down in Teresa's arms, and poured her heart out to the one she saw as her mother. The Faint Smile's silver eyes widened upon realizing that, back in Theo, Clare wasn't trying to comfort herself, she was trying to comfort _her._

This girl, this small, pathetic little human, was trying comfort the Number 1 Claymore of the 77th Generation, Teresa of the Faint Smile.

It made the woman's heart ache knowing that she was going to leave Clare behind…but it was for the best.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next day_

Perseus watched from a nearby rooftop, his boots clean, his trousers pressed, his vest pristine, and his hands behind his back, as his sister made short work of the lone Yoma in this secluded village. He shook his head at his Big Sis' stubborn refusal to realize that Clare was the best thing to happen to her.

Sure, he had become a mainstay in her life, but he didn't have the effect that Clare did.

Clare, bless her little soul, had a power over Teresa. She could do something that Percy would never do: make her human. The Leviathan would freely admit in front of his entire army that he had a very soft spot for the Number 1, and swiftly munch on whoever said something negative about it.

Honestly, he didn't want Teresa to join his army. He wanted his sister to enjoy a life outside of blood and battle…huh. This was probably how Teresa felt about Clare. Interesting, so he could, on some basic level, understand empathy.

Maybe there was some human left in him.

As Teresa left the village, Perseus' thoughts became a twisted mix of malice and mischief, _'Oh sister of mine. Despite your level of intelligence, I can't help but feel that you've made a grave error in judgement. Bandits deep in the woods, a village isolated in the mountains, and a lone Yoma prowling the streets, now dead. I can't help but wonder what those greedy little bastards will do now that the threat to their goal has been removed.'_ Teresa disappeared over the horizon, and the Abyssal Lord looked at the humans scurrying around beneath him. _'Either way, I expect to eat well tonight.'_

He could already hear the insects saddling up their horses.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Teresa walked up a cliff's edge, she heard the sound of shouting men and galloping horses. Looking down, her eyes widened in horror when she realized that they were all bandits. The same bandits that threatened her and Clare days before. When she saw where they were headed, she came to the same conclusions that Perseus had come to hours before.

Teresa took off at an inhuman sprint towards Rokut. She had to get to the Village! She had to get to the people! She had to get to Clare! She had to get to Percy—wait a second.

Percy had gone to Rokut first…he had to have sensed the Yoma…yet he didn't kill it…he probably knew that it was keeping the bandits away…so he left it alive…but she had just killed the Yoma…and he didn't stop her…now the bandits were on their way to Rokut…Clare and Percy were still there…Percy had absolutely no regard for human life…he had mentioned that he hadn't eaten in over a year…oh hell.

That little imp had organized himself a personal buffet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bandits were having the time of their lives. Rokut was on fire, the houses were empty, the bodies were burning, the booze was flowing, and the women were either screaming or moaning…sometimes both.

And the cherry on top? They found the little bitch that was with the Claymore and that freaky kid. What a perfect opportunity for some good ol' fashioned revenge.

"Heh," the Boss smirked at the look of defiance on the kid's face, "I'm going to enjoy breaking that spirit of yours." The thugs all laughed in a perverse way.

Fear began to worm its way into Clare's body, but she quickly destroyed it, "Teresa will come for me! And Percy will too!"

The bandits laughed and the Boss smirked, "Your precious Claymore can't do anything to us, and that freak of a brother you have is nothing but talk. We discovered that ourselves."

"Is that what you all think?" a childlike voice carried over the sound of dancing flames.

All eyes turned to a burning building, the tallest one in Rokut, which also happened to be the town church. Standing atop the steeple on one foot was the boy from earlier in the week. The full moon shined largely behind him, and the fire burned beneath him.

It created an eerie image with the flames casting his face in shadow, and moonlight making his eyes shine.

Then the church collapsed.

The bandits just stared for a moment, trying to comprehend the spectacle they just witnessed. Then one began laughing, then another, and another, before everyone there was laughing. Clare groaned and face palmed. The bandit had said Percy was her brother…well why did she have to get stuck with such a silly sibling!?

"Now then, where were we?" the Boss asked with a lecherous grin. Clare wasn't worried though. Percy was like Teresa, and fire wouldn't be able to kill him. In fact, here he came now.

"We were at the part where the hero and the villain banter with each other."

Heads whipped around to the collapsed church. A shadow was making its way through the flames. The shadow was not human; the shadow's head sprouted many horns, the shadow's shoulders sprouted many spears, the shadow's waist sprouted many swords and shields, and the Devil's arms danced lazily behind the shadow.

"Lucifer…"

"Satan…"

"Dragon…"

The bandits whispered many other titles in reverence and fear. The shadow disappeared as the freak walked out of the fire, dropping his vest to the ground, and the bandits either remained fearful, grew wary, or sighed in relief. The Boss gained his bravado back, "Don't worry men, it's only the Claymore's bastard. He can do no more harm to us than she could. Back in the woods, when you said you could 'eat us until only skeletons remained and still be hungry,' well I'm calling your bluff!" The Boss smirked and grabbed his Falcon Sword. "In fact," he drew his blade, "I'm calling the end of your life!"

The special thing about the Falcon Sword was that it could separate into many individual segments, and move faster than most men could see. Unfortunately for the bandits, the boy in front of them was not most men.

Perseus disappeared before the flying twig could even come close to his body. The Wide Smile had to give the man some credit, his sword had enough power behind it to dig into the ground, tearing up some chunks of road.

The Leviathan materialized on top of a nearby roof, one that wasn't in on fire yet. The soon-to-be-dead people looked around in a panic, even the Boss had apprehension clear on his face. Clare though, she knew where Percy was, and looked up at him.

A silent message passed between the two.

' _Close your eyes. Teresa wouldn't want you to see this.'_

' _No. I want to watch.'_

' _Silly girl. If you watch what I'm about to do next, you'll soil all of your pretty new clothes.'_

' _I've already gone to the bathroom, and I haven't eaten since this morning.'_

' _Well aren't you a clever little minx.'_ Clare's face broke into a devious grin.

"There he is!" all heads turned toward the man who shouted, then everyone looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, the boy was sitting on the edge of a building, right leg pulled to his chest, left leg dangling over the side.

The Boss growled before whipping his sword up, sending the blades sailing up at the boy. The Boss' face turned into a grin when he saw that the boy wasn't moving. Yes! The brat couldn't react; his blade was so fast!

CHING

The boy had snagged the sword right out of the air, then, with a simple jerk of his arm, he ripped the weapon right out of the Boss' stunned hands, looks of shock and disbelief on the bandits' faces. Clare was smiling.

"You said that you were calling my bluff," the boy said loudly. "Well then…how about I show my hand?"

Thin, long, black shapes grew from the back of the Abyssal Lord. With a grunt, his tentacles shot forward with more speed than Three-Armed Licht could ever have dreamed of. The Village of Rokut, on top of the sounds of crackling flames, was now filled with the screams of dying men and tearing flesh.

The Leviathan's tentacles rose high into the night, bodies of both bandit and civilian adorning the appendages. If one were to look closely, they would've seen the bodies beginning to dry out and mummify as the organs and fluids were sucked out by the tentacles.

Perseus angled one of his extra appendages so that a body was directly over his open mouth, a small stream of blood flowing down his throat and into his stomach. When he had his fill, he moved the tentacle back to where it was. His lips parted and his face stretched as his widest smile ever appeared on his face,

" **Read'em and weep."**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teresa arrived back at Rokut just in time to sense pulse of Yoki, and see twelve tentacles rise from the village, each one adorned with many corpses.

"Percy…what have you done?"

The Faint Smile raced into the inferno, desperately searching for Clare and Percy. She quickly found the pair in the town square, her 'little' brother sitting on the edge of a rooftop, tentacles shooting from his back, a serene look on his face. Clare was sitting on her shins, a look of awe and wonder on her young face.

"Hey Sis."

Teresa blinked as Percy's voice broke into her thoughts. The Leviathan was standing two feet in front of her, his tentacles beginning to recede into his back, the bodies that used to be on them crumbling and disintegrating into the dust from which they were made.

The Faint Smile regained her composure and patted him on the head, "Are you full now, Percy?"

The Abyssal Lord shook his head, "Nope. Humans don't really satisfy me like an Awakened Being can. Even Yoma are more filling than a human."

Teresa just smiled and walked over the blushing Clare. She kneeled down in front of the girl, "Are you alright Clare? You're not hurt, are you?"

The girl shook her head, "No. Percy saved me before the bandits could do anything."

Teresa looked at Clare carefully, "Are you sure you're alright? I mean, Percy just…" Clare shook her head. "I'm fine, Teresa, honest. I've seen dead bodies before." The Faint Smile sadly remembered that the sweet little child in front of her was once the plaything of a Yoma. Of course she would be used to seeing mangled corpses.

Perseus wondered if knowingly travelling with a Yoma, an Awakened Being at that, was punishable by death. After all, it was a Claymore's sworn duty to kill the creatures, regardless if they were on mission or not. Perseus remembered being told that if he ever came across a Yoma while not on a mission, he was to kill it on sight.

That rule probably hadn't changed.

What the spying Orsay was going to say to his superiors about tonight would be interesting to hear. Either way, the Leviathan fully expected the man to spin a tale resembling that of 'Teresa has betrayed us by harboring a Yoma,' or 'Teresa is in league with an Awakened Being,' or 'Teresa killed all of these people.'

Regardless, the Lord of the Abyss knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that in twenty-four hours, Teresa of the Faint Smile would no longer be an active duty Claymore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Sometime later_

 _A place with a lot of rock towers_

Teresa stood alone, five warriors surrounding her, all of them with their blades drawn. Clare was being held onto tightly by Orsay, the man's firm grip keeping the crying girl from doing something foolish. The purpose for today's gathering was simple: execution.

"You have betrayed the Organization," Orsay said.

"Yes, yes," Teresa responded tiredly, "get on with it."

"You can't do this! She saved my life!" Clare cried out in desperation. He pleas were ignored.

"This is not the fate I envisioned, but I am willing to do what must be done here. Please, just spare me the hypocrisy," Teresa looked forward. "I disobeyed, and human lives were lost due to my inability to kill an Awakened Being."

"Teresa! Teresa!" Clare's world was being brought down around her. Where was Percy!? He could save them and kill all of these other people that wanted to take away her Teresa!

"Just tell me one thing first," said Teresa. "As for her, who will provide for the girl?"

"That is no longer your concern. She will be dealt with by the Organization from this point on," Orsay said neutrally.

"I see. Thank you." With that bit of information, Teresa's resolve became sharper and harder than her sword. She would not die here today, oh no she would look after Clare until the end of time now.

With Clare's final outburst, the warriors sped forward.

SCHING

Everyone stood still for a moment…before the five Claymores dropped to their knees, blood erupting from their shoulders. "The wounds aren't deep. Your Yoki powers are more than enough to close them. You'll be alright." Teresa turned around and faced Orsay, "Sorry, but…I'm not quite ready to die."

Orsay's body went numb, and Clare escaped from his grip, the girl clinging to Teresa like green on grass. "There, there. Stop your crying," Teresa said gently.

Orsay was less than pleased, "What have you done now?"

The wind began to blow, Teresa's cape dancing in the breeze, "I've done what I've always done: I've kept myself alive the only way I know how. But it's different now. This little girl has given a greater purpose in my life than I have ever known." Orsay gasped. That was an answer he never would've predicted from the coldest monster in the Organization.

As Teresa and Clare walked past him, Orsay had one final thing to say, "You will regret this."

"Maybe," Teresa said. "But not right now."

From his position high above the execution site, the Abyssal Lord watched the proceedings unfold with a predatory smirk, his white cloak back on his body.

It was almost time to begin…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Not much happening, but the plot has been moved forward. I'm sure you can all guess what's happening next chapter, and I hope you're all as excited as I am!**_

 _ **Next chapter: Gods and Monsters**_


	10. Gods and Monsters Pt 1

**_Here we go folks, the first pivotal moment in the odyssey of the Abyssal Lord. The Leviathan vs the One-Horned Woman. Two monsters of unbridled power._**

 ** _In hindsight, the winner is obvious, since we still have a whole lot more story to cover after this, but how will the battle be won? Who will survive the aftermath? Will Teresa still lose her head? Will Irene, Sophia, and Noel still bite the dust?_**

 ** _Hell, I don't even know yet. There's so much to play around with here, so many different possibilities, so many different out comes…_**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I don't own Claymore or Percy Jackson_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few hours after Teresa's Desertion_

 _Perseus biological age: 113_

So, an Awakened Being, a Claymore, and a human girl walk into a village and see a Yoma about to eat a young boy…

The trio all wore cloaks that his most of their bodies. Clare wore a simple brown robe that had a hood, leaving her face open. Teresa's cloak was a light blue, and left only her silver eyes visible. Percy's cloak was the same as always: pristine white, came down to just above his ankles, drawn over his left shoulder, and had a hood that pushed his bangs down, covering his eyes.

"If we do anything," Teresa said, "we won't be able to stay here." Clare nodded. "We'll be trading warm beds for the cold of the wild, are you okay with that?" Clare nodded and smiled. "I sleep, like, once every six months, so it's not really a problem for me," Teresa whacked Perseus over the head.

In a dramatic flourish, the Faint Smile threw off her cloak, letting it sail through the air. The townspeople began to predictably whisper in surprise at seeing a Claymore in their village. Teresa strolled forward with a hand on her hip, and a small smile on her face.

"Honestly, I thought Clare, Percy, and I could live here in peace for a time, but your rotten ass has gone and ruined that for us. So let's make this quick, shall we?"

"Please, do something to save that boy!" a woman called from somewhere in the crowd.

"You Yoma can be such a nuisance," Teresa said exasperatedly.

The monster roared before charging the Number 1 head on, only to swiftly lose its head in a single stroke of the blades. "There now. Maybe now we can have some peace and quiet-huh?" Teresa broke off as the people began to _cheer._ That was a new one.

"Our deepest thanks for what you've done." Teresa looked at the town leader. Why were all town leader's old men? This one had a large nose, bushy mustache, bald head, and more bushy hair ringing his skull, and ate rather well it seemed. "For what it's worth, we will forever be in your debt. Please, let us gather a collection for your fee," the kind man said.

Teresa began to say her usual 'give it to a Stranger in Black' speech before she stopped herself. She no longer had to worry about people in black…technically speaking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that day_

 ** _(From this moment on, you can take Claymore's canon…and throw its happy ass out the window)_**

At Teresa's request, the town's people were more than happy to give the trio a room in the town's best inn. It was quite the luxurious space. The room was huge, probably thirty feet by thirty feet by ten feet, complete with fireplace, two king sized beds, and a pair of gigantic windows that let in a generous amount of sun.

Percy sat on the bed closest to the window, his cloak off, revealing his vest and trousers. Teresa sat on the opposite bed, her armor off, Clare sleeping silently in the Faint Smile's lap.

"So…when they get here, what are we going to do?" Teresa smiled faintly at her 'little' brother's question. It was a good one to ask. "I mean," Percy continued, "if we kill them, the Organization will either send more warriors, or will lay off for a while before sending more. If we send them packing, they'll just keep coming back for more until we get tired or they get lucky, however unlikely the latter is."

"True, but I don't see any other option," Teresa said softly as she stroked Clare's head. The girl looked adorable in her sleep.

"Well, we are only about two days' walk to Alfons, and that's where the Northern Regiment is stationed. There are some soldiers that patrol the border. If we go there, you and Clare would be safe indefinitely."

Teresa glared lightly at the Leviathan, "And a human girl would be safe among an army of Voracious Eaters…why?"

The Wide Smile grinned, "Because none of them are stupid enough to disobey my orders."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that day_

Percy was laying on his bed, cloak neatly folded at his feet, arms held behind his head as he rested on the pillow. Clare was still sleeping, and even Teresa was resting her eyes. It was calm, very calm, and that alone was enough to put the Leviathan on guard. It was as if the very universe was gearing up for the battle to come.

Teresa's eyes shot open when she detected three Yoki auras enter her range. She knew those auras; they belonged to Irene, Sophia, and Noel.

"Hm. It seems that the Organization has been quite frivolous with what isn't theirs." Teresa looked over at her brother. He was standing at the window, his back to her and his hands clasped behind his back. The aura he projected was not one of juvenile insanity, but one of a military leader that just heard his troops were trying to rebel.

"What do you mean?"

An icy silver eye looked at Teresa, from over his shoulder, "Can you not sense it, Big Sister? The presence of the fourth warrior?" At Teresa's negative, the Leviathan looked back out the window, "The Organization has implanted the Asarakam into another. We have a new sister…one that aims to kill." The Faint Smile's breath hitched in her throat.

"There'll be no getting out of this one," Perseus said after a moment. "You don't have to fight, sis. You and Clare can head for the North. Let your Yoki leak out, and tell the first person that confronts you that you were sent by the Leviathan."

Teresa smirked, "And let you have all the fun here? I'm actually looking forward to seeing Irene again, and the prospect of meeting this new sister of ours excites me. Besides, I have no intention of spending any more time with a group of savage monsters than I have to."

"Savage monsters?" Percy said in false hurt. "I'll have you know that my army has been disciplined to the point that they are not savages, and instead are intelligent killing machines, trained to kill before eating."

Teresa looked at him with doubt in her eyes.

"See, looking at me like that just makes me want to introduce you to my army so badly, just to prove you wrong."

Silver eyes were rolled, "Well, meeting your oh-so-esteemed army will have to wait. They're here."

"I'm going to go say hi." Then the Leviathan leapt out the window.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The stoic, serious, and elflike Quicksword Irene was at the head of the proverbial pack. To her right, walked the rowdy, tomboyish Stormwind Noel. Behind her, to the left, walked the graceful, calm Muscular Sofia. The newbie, Priscilla was instructed to hang back, to act as the trump card against Teresa of the Faint Smile, and the Awakened Being she was travelling with.

Such a shame none of them knew _which_ Awakened Being was with the Number 1…

The execution squad calmly marched through the town, their destination the hotel they had sensed a faint Yoki aura. No doubt Teresa trying to hide, so she could avoid a conflict. How futile. She would not escape her fate today.

"So…do you ladies come here often?"

The warriors turned around to see a young boy—at least they thought it was a boy—standing behind them. The boy was probably five feet tall, putting him at eleven or twelve, and was wearing an all-white cloak that fell down to just above his ankles, letting his black boots be seen. The cloak's hood pushed the boy's white and black bangs down, over his eyes, hiding most of his face. What an unusual child. Most children were held tight to their mothers when around a warrior.

"No. We do not come here often. If you were smart, child, you would go home to your mother," Irene said neutrally.

The boy's grin remained the same, "Oh I don't have a _mommy._ All I have is a _daddy_ that takes _good care_ of me." The way he said that had all of the warriors cringing. "In fact, I can hear Daddy calling me right now. He says it's time to go potty, and you know what _that_ means," the boy said with a twisted, sensual smile. The warriors felt sick.

The boy raised his left arm out of his cloak and lazily waved at them as he walked backward, "Bye bye…bye bye… **bye bye…"** The last words spoken had a twinge of an echoey whisper, and a speck of Yoki…

Three pairs of silver orbs widened exponentially when the boy's arm morphed into streamlined rapier-like weapon. The boy was suddenly in front of Irene, who barely had time to draw her sword to defend herself before the hardest blow she had ever taken sent her _flying_ across the town.

Noel and Sophia were too slow to react to the unbelievable agility of the Awakened Being in front of them, and were kicked hard enough in the stomach to send them crashing through the dwellings on either side of the streets.

The Leviathan grinned. Warriors these days. Sure, the men may have been more prone to Awakening, but by God were they stronger than that. Those warriors were around ranks two-through-five, and back in the day, Isley, Rigaldo, and even the thick-headed Dauf would've reacted faster to such a sneak attack. Hell, Perseus would've been hard-pressed to defend against those three all at once, without jacking his Yoki up to 70%.

Yeah, he couldn't have spars like that anymore. His power had soared beyond what anyone could've imagined.

"Now…which one to go after." He began to point left, forward, and then right saying, "Ini…mini…miny…" The Leviathan whirled around, blocking the strike from the _fourth_ Claymore. _"Moe!"_

This one was young, had potential, was an idealistic fanatic, and had a seriously broad forehead. She was also the one with the Asarakam implanted within her.

As the two blades grinded against each other, the friction between them making them glow red-hot, Perseus looked into the silver eyes of the Claymore in front of her, and instantly knew that this bitch…was not his sister.

She was a rival.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clare woke to the sounds of metal clashing against metal, and Teresa was also getting dressed. "Are we leaving? Where's Percy? And what's going on outside?"

Teresa smiled at her, "Well, in order: we're about to, he's in the street, and he's fighting the Claymores that have come to take my head."

Clare nodded and began to help her mother figure pack their things.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This Claymore may have been made from Asarakam flesh, but she was not made from the same one as he and Teresa. That made her not his sister, but a rival to his rule, a challenger to his might, a female to be dominated and forced to bear his children…!

Where the _fuck_ did that come from?

As much as he knew about the Dragon's Kin, he still did not understand the instincts that drove him. He had an instinct to assert his dominance over those weaker than him. He had an instinct to be at the head, to be the one leading. He had an instinct to conquer all, no matter how insignificant. And, one that had recently been nagging at him for a while now, he had an instinct telling him to find a strong enough female to procreate with.

Two reasons he hadn't done that: one, there was no one strong enough (Riful was 'taken,' and his instincts told him that Luciela wasn't strong enough), and two, on the rare occasions that he did sleep, he always saw a girl that _looked_ like a Claymore, but wasn't.

The girl had the blonde hair, but it was too blonde, had too much color to it, and the silver eyes, but they weren't fully silver; they were too dark, more like storm clouds, than liquid mercury. Then there were her clothes. Perseus had never seen pants made of a blue material like that, nor had he ever seen pants that short. Also, where the Hell did you get a shirt that was colored bright orange, with white words somehow attached to the shirt?

Camp Half-Blood. For some reason, those words struck a chord within him.

Anyway, back to the present battle, Perseus sent a burst of Yoki to his Arm-Blade, and threw the Claymore back. She stabbed her sword into the stone, halting her movement and carving a trench into the road. She eventually stopped moving when she reached the middle of a bridge.

The Leviathan gave the child little time to rest however, and was upon her the second she brought her sword out of the stones. The child truly had the potential to become strong, that is, if the Abyssal Lord allowed her to live through this.

At their current rate of power, he and the Claymore were 'evenly' matched, their blows connecting only with the weapon of the other, creating a deafening orchestra of clashing metal that had a physical impact on the surrounding area.

Civilians covered their ears, cracks began to form on the bridge, and the surrounding buildings, and small stones began to rain down upon the people, dislodged by the soundwaves.

The two warriors clashed and separated, an eruption of sparks dancing wear the two once were.

The two stared at each other for moment, but before they could resume battle, the other three Claymores blurred into existence around the Wide Smile, all of them looking none too pleased at being ambushed like they once were.

"Before we begin this dance, I would like to know the names and ranks of my dance partners," Percy said conversationally.

"Why would we tell you that? You're about to be dead soon anyway, Yoma," the one with bedhead sneered.

The Leviathan frowned, "Kids these days. Back in my day, warriors actually respected each other, and it was a common courtesy to tell your opponent your name and rank, regardless if they had Awakened or not. So please, name and rank, if you would be so kind."

Bedhead opened her mouth for a scathing remark, but Elf cut her off, "My name is Quicksword Irene. I'm ranked Number 3 in the Organization. The one to your left is Muscular Sophia, and she is ranked Number 4. The one to your right is Stormwind Noel, and she is ranked Number 5." Her tone was clipped and precise.

"And what about her?" Percy pointed at the one with the Asarakam.

"I am Priscilla, and the Organization has given me my emblem and raised me to the rank of Number 2."

The Abyssal Lord's eye twitched, _'Number 2? She looks like she just learned how to walk. Why would the Organization give an ankle biter such a high ranking and send her on such a dangerous mission?'_ He was broken out of his thoughts when Priscilla said something. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

Priscilla narrowed her eyes, "I said that since you know are names and ranks, what are yours?"

The Wide Smile smirked, "I'm not sure you can handle it. Most of every Claymore I've my name to has ended up with a lump in the seat of their uniform, and a really bad smell." Jaws dropped and blushes adorned faces. "I don't know about you. Just entering the field like you are; unless your _diaper bag_ is somewhere around here, I think I'll keep my identity a secret for now. I don't want to fight someone with messy pants."

Sophia hid her giggles behind her hand, and Noel was outright laughing. Irene was as stoic as ever, and Priscilla looked like she was either going to faint or explode. She gnashed her teeth together, "Why you-!"

"Priscilla!" Irene said sharply. "When fighting an Awakened Being, you can expect them to banter with you; it's a tactic they use to make you sloppy. Instead of getting worked up, return fire, like so." Irene cleared her throat, "And where's your diaper bag, little boy? You're even younger than she is, you shouldn't be going around without protection."

"Stop it."

"Aw, what's the matter? Do you need to be changed?" Noel chimed in.

"I said stop it."

"I don't think that's the problem, Noel. I think it's his nap time," Sophia cooed.

"I don't know, Sophia, I think he looks hungry. Is that it little boy? Need some milk?" Noel grabbed her boob, "'Cause I got some right here~."

"Okay," Perseus said slowly, "This has officially gotten weird. But since you're _dying_ to know who I am," he threw off his cloak, letting it settle at his feet, revealing his primarily black clothes.

"I am Perseus of the Wide Smile, and was ranked Number 1 in the Organization before I willingly Awakened."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"All done," Clare said. Teresa ruffled her hair, "Good, now you wait here. I'm going out to see some old friends of mine, and I don't want you getting hurt on accident, okay?" Clare just nodded her head with a smile on her face.

Teresa walked out the door and down the steps, her armor clinking. Clare raced to the window, like the other civilians, and watched the battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Like Cassandra did so many years ago, the Claymores' eyes widened as the gravity of the situation came crashing down on top of them like a pair of meteors. They weren't facing _a_ male Awakened Being; they were facing _the_ male Awakened Being.

The First Number 1.

The One to Stand Above All Others.

The White One.

The Juvenile Slaughterer.

The Purple Butcher.

The Marquis of Murder.

The Duke of Death.

The Leviathan.

And they had just insulted him with metaphors and jabs about being an infant. A cold wind blew, making their hair and capes billow in its foreboding caress. Irene felt the blood in her veins freeze. Noel was trying not to hyperventilate. Sophia was shaking like a leaf in a storm. Priscilla didn't shit in her pants, which Perseus thought was good; he had many jokes prepared if the Number 2 went number 2, though.

"What's the matter ladies? Cat got your tongues? We don't need to take quick potty break right?"

Noel screamed and Sophia grunted as they called on 30% of their Yoki auras. They charged, fully intent on skewering the monster before them, only for their blades to meet. Noel was kicked right up her asshole, sending both warriors flying over the side of the bridge into the water below.

Perseus stood over the edge, "Hey, with a simple kick to the butt, I made two girls wet at once!"

"Now, now Percy. Just because you're stronger than them doesn't mean you gloat." Teresa materialized next to the Leviathan. The Claymores gasped at the arrival of their target, and how familiar she seemed to be with Perseus of the Wide Smile.

"But I just couldn't resist the opportunity to a get joke in."

Teresa whacked him over the head. She looked at the frozen form of Irene, "Well now, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Old friend…" The Quicksword grit her teeth. The Wide Smile was bad enough as it was, now she had to deal with the Faint Smile as well. Wait…the _Wide_ Smile and the _Faint_ Smile? Was that a coincidence or not?

"Which one do you want Sis? The Asarakam or the others?"

Teresa tapped her chin, seemingly lost in thought, until her blade was drawn in the fire of a synapse, blocking the cheap-shot made by Priscilla. The sudden opposing force made the Number 2 bounce off like a ball. "I guess I'll take the Little Claymore, then. Just try not to kill the others, okay Percy?"

The Abyssal Lord saluted with his normal arm, "Sure thing, Big Sis!"

Noel and Sophia blurred into existence, but Teresa and Percy were already blitzing toward their chosen targets. Perhaps against their better judgement, the duo wanted some revenge against the Leviathan for what he did. Noel wanted some payback because her ass still hurt (if that was what anal felt like, she was telling Sophia 'hell no' the next time she asked), and Sophia wanted a pound of flesh because the angle in which Noel was kicked into her, made her get a mouthful of booby.

Which wasn't bad, so much as embarrassing.

Irene was prepared this time for the invisible blow, but shit did it have her arm numb. While Perseus was still in range, she activated her Quicksword. The air was filled with the whirring sound of a blade moving through it at several hundred miles per hour. To the civilians that were watching, all they saw was a bunch blurs surrounding the elf-like Claymore.

To Percy, it was like watching her arm have a spasm.

The Quicksword quickly grew frustrated, and scared, when all of her slashes, jabs, thrusts, swings, and feints hit only air molecules. The Leviathan was just dodging her every strike. In fact, he was moving so fast, it looked like his body was vibrating in place.

Noel and Sophia soon arrived, the Stormwind shrieking the entire time. Percy disengaged from Irene and easily dodged the overhead slash from Noel, kicking her with his shin and sending her flying into the air.

Sophia came next, trying to use her strength to overwhelm, or possibly break the blade of, the Leviathan. Yeah, she would've had an easier time doing that to one of the Creatures of the Abyss. The two warriors deadlocked, and Percy punched her in the stomach, before elbowing her in the face, knocking her head back, opening her guard. It would've been an easy killing blow, but the Marquis of Murder was feeling fanservicey today…and grabbed Sophia's left boob.

The he threw her, by the boob, face first into Irene. The two toppled to the ground with Sophia straddling her superior, their lips locked. It lasted for a second before Sophia sprang off of Irene, her tongue hanging out as she scraped off the 'germs.' The elf-like Claymore had a faint blush on her face.

You didn't need to be able to acutely sense Yoki to tell that Noel was on her way back down. The harpy-like screeching was enough. The Stormwind crashed down, cratering rock and kicking up dust. She bolted out of the cloud, but the Wide Smile rolled under her wild slash, sprung up and grabbed her by the cape, then through her over to Irene and Sophia, creating a pile up of white and silver.

Perseus giggled at the sight.

The three were pushing and shoving, trying to get untangled. Noel was being immature, complaining about something poking her butt (which was Irene's sword pommel), Sophia was annoyed and irritated (because it seemed that Noel was trying to breastfeed her), and Irene was trying to give orders through the blush on her face (because Sophia's hand was lodged in between her legs). It was quite the hilarious and slightly erotic sight for the people watching.

While the Terrible Trio were trying to get untangled, Perseus used his sensory ability to check up on Teresa and the Rival. Well that was a one-sided onslaught. The Duke of Death really had no idea what the Organization was thinking when they sent a novice to fight a master. Maybe they were hoping that Priscilla's Yoki suppression would outmatch Teresa's Yoki sensing.

Well they were right, but Yoki sensing wasn't the only way that Teresa fought, and Priscilla was paying for her overconfidence. A child could not hope to fight their elder and win, without some kind of edge.

Huh, well that explains the three behind him. Priscilla was dagger, and they were supposed to be the cloak, but the Purple Butcher's presence here had screwed that plan sideways while running a marathon.

Clinking metal drew the White One's attention back to his current adversaries. They had finally figured out how to get untangled and were now standing up, swords drawn, and _very_ unhappy looks on their faces. In fact, their eyes were slitted and golden, veins bulged on their faces, their muscles had swollen in size, and their bared teeth had all become fangs.

"Ready for round two, are we?"

The Wide Smile vanished as Sophia shattered the ground where he once stood with a sword strike. He appeared on a roof top, which was destroyed when Noel failed to kill him. He materialized further down the road, closer to the outskirts of the town, narrowly (easily) avoiding the swarm of Quickswords that tore many new trenches into the town streets.

It continued like that for a few minutes, a three on one game of cat and mouse. The poor town was cracked, ruptured, and broken under the strain of battle. It was funny, really. All Percy was doing was dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging. It was the Claymores that were racking up thousands in property damage.

But like so many times before, the Abyssal Lord got bored with the game, and decided to end it. With speed defying reality, Perseus was next to Noel, and he calmly tapped her shoulder…which sent her careening into the distance. Then he was in front of Sophia, and buried his fist into her stomach with a thunderous crack…which sent her somewhere into the lower atmosphere. Irene had enough time to prepare herself after watching Noel and Sophia be swatted aside like flies, but she felt a spurt of pee enter her underwear when the boy in front of her _caught_ her Quicksword.

"My, that's unfortunate."

That's when Priscilla came skidding across the street looking worse for wear. Teresa calmly forward, her clothes and armor in pristine condition, her hand on her hip, and her sword dripping a small amount of blood.

"In a few more years, with enough experience, you will make a fine warrior. Right now though, you're still just a child," Teresa said neutrally. Priscilla was cut in multiple places, her uniform torn, and she was missing her left shoulder pauldron. She was also crying; whether it was from dear, sadness, or frustration Perseus didn't know or care.

He was more worried about the girl's violently fluctuating Yoki.

"Teresa!" Clare came running out of the inn they were temporarily staying, a bag in her hands. They bag held some clothes, some money, and other things. The Faint and Wide Smiles calmly walked over to the girl.

"Right. This was fun, but we have other things to do besides thrashing a bunch of girls." Perseus leapt onto Teresa's shoulders, and Clare grabbed her hand. Irene watched, still in shock, as the strangest trio in the world began to stroll out of the town. An increasingly louder yell, and the sound of clanking metal drew Irene's attention the dazedly approaching Noel, and the falling Sophia.

Almost as if it were scripted, the Number 5 came crashing down on the Number 4. They both groaned. Irene shook her head at the comical situation. This was…this was some next level absurdity. But they still had a mission to complete, and they weren't dead yet.

Irene grabbed her sword and hauled Priscilla to her feet, "Pull yourself together. This battle isn't over." The Number 2 looked lost, before her silver eyes hardened. Irene nodded at the determination in the child's gaze. Sophia and Noel were back on their legs and looked ready to go as well.

With a nod, the four blurred forward, swords ready for decapitation…and they all _froze._

Teresa and Clare continued walking as if nothing was happening, but the Purple Butcher…he turned his head around, and the Claymores knew a fear unlike anything they had ever felt before. His gaze stared through their bodies, straight into their souls. They were like children laid bare before a god to be judged, and were found wanting.

In her terror stricken mind, Irene was able to realize that the Leviathan had a strangle hold on their Yoki auras, but that did little to ease her fear. If anything, it only made it more prominent. This monster was able to not only manipulate _her_ aura, but the auras of three other powerful warriors at once. Just how deep were the depths of the Abyssal Lord's power?

The boy grinned at them, before he released his hold on their auras. The Claymores all fell to their knees, trying to get as much air into their lungs as possible, desperately trying to calm their racing nerves. There was a foul smell in the air, and Sophia looked over, "Noel…you didn't."

"I-I need s-some new pants," the Claymore stuttered in shock.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Unforgiveable…unforgiveable…unforgiveable…" Priscilla's mind was cracking. A combination of fear, shock, disbelief, anger, and a failure to comprehend just _why_ Teresa disobeyed the law—and her inexperience—was taking its toll on her young mind. And the Yoma that Teresa was with…

It was a Yoma that had killed her Mommy and her Daddy, and Big Brother, and Big Sister. She would kill the Yoma-yes she would kill it-she had to! For her Mommy and Daddy, and Big Sister and Brother. And she had to, because the Organization said so. And she had to, because _it_ told her to. _It_ told her that the Yoma was a threat to her reign-to her survival! -and she had to destroy all threats to Survival. That meant Teresa had to die too-she had to-because it was her mission.

Pricilla's purple aura flared around her, her eyes turning gold and slitted, the power of her Yoki making her cape fly up and the wind howl. Irene, Sophia, and Noel covered their faces with their arms, the wind stinging. They tried to calm the girl down, but their voices were drowned out by the violently swirling Yoki.

With a yell of anger, Priscilla was off to avenge her dead family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trio was walking through the outskirts of the town. The terrain was rocky, with many stone formations dotting the landscape. Snowcapped mountains stood proudly in the distance. Their destination was simple: The Northern Land of Alfons.

They had an appointment with the Northern Regiment.

A screaming banshee (and a large, approaching aura) alerted Teresa, Clare, and Percy to the arrival of 50% Priscilla. She was breathing heavy, her teeth were fangs, veins were visible on her face, her skin had a light tint of purple to it, and her muscles were larger than most man's.

She was also frothing at the mouth, but that wasn't important.

"So, uh, can we… _help_ you with something?" Percy said slowly. "Mommy and Daddy…Brother and Sister…are dead because of you _disgusting_ Yoma," Priscilla rasped. "And because of _you,_ " she levelled her sword at Teresa, "that Yoma is still alive. You are a traitor to the Organization, and I will bring them your head!"

"Well she's lost it, and I really have no place for her in my army. I guess we'll just put her down like a dog. You doin' it or am I?"

Teresa narrowed her eyes, "I'll finish what I started. Besides, I feel it too, the overwhelming desire to kill her." Perseus hopped down from her shoulders and pulled Clare away, just in time to avoid the clash between the two warriors.

The two children watched the two fight, one with worry, the other with a smirk on his face. "Don't worry Clare. Priscilla may look like she's winning, but she's on 67% of her power, and Teresa hasn't even used 10% yet. This battle was decided long ago."

The young girl nodded and looked more reassured by the assessment of the Awakened Being in front of her. Clare honestly didn't know what to think of the boy in front of her. He was smart, funny, clearly powerful, and he and Teresa often called each other 'sis' and 'brother,' so they were close too. But she didn't know what _they_ were to each other. Honestly, she felt awkward around Percy.

She didn't know whether to hug, shy away from him, or be as quiet as possible around him.

"Lighten up, Clare. Think of me as the crazy friend in your life that always has a way out of just about every situation imaginable." Clare thought for a moment, before she glomped Percy. She held him tight for a moment, before letting go with a blush on her face, "S-sorry. It's just, I've never had a real friend before."

Perseus was actually stunned for a moment, before he glomped Clare right back, the girl squeaking in surprise. He pulled back with a massive grin on his face, Clare holding her arms close to her chest and her eyes wide with a tomato-like blush on her face.

"I've never had a real friend either, so I guess that makes us friends now!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Claymores arrived a few minutes later, just in time to witness 1/10 of Teresa's awesome power. Percy and Clare noted, with giggles, that Noel was moving rather awkwardly. That, and there was the grinning Sophia and the embarrassed look on the Number 4's face.

"If you need them, Clare has a few pairs of underwear in the bag," Perseus said teasingly. Noel grit her teeth, "Shut up, you little brat! This is all your fault anyway." Perseus' grin only got wider, "My fault? I fail to see how you pooping yourself is my fault. Maybe you should've brought a diaper bag." Clare failed to hide her laughter behind her hand.

Noel growled, her face distorting, but a pulse of Yoki and a shockwave made her stop. Coming to her senses, Noel realized just what was happening over the hill. Those were some big Yoki auras, and sweet Christ were they going at it. Going over the hill, it became clear just who was the more powerful.

Priscilla was mess, her muscles grotesquely bulging, her skin was definitely purple now, her hair had become spikey, both of her shoulder were cut and bleeding, and drool was liberally flowing from her fang-filled maw.

"Oh, someone get her a bib and clean that filthy mouth. Wait speaking of bib, where is my cloak?" Percy sent a pointed look at Clare, "Did you forget my cloak?" The fidgeted, poking her fingers together, "…I thought it was a sheet."

The Leviathan whirled around with a groan. "A sheet!" he cried indignantly, "That's the last time I let you get our stuff. I'll be right back to get my cloak, try not to get killed. And you," he said as he walked past Noel, "clean yourself up. You stink."

Perseus was gone long before the Stormwind could retort.

He reappeared in front of the inn, and calmly strolled in, but he kept a _close_ reading on the events on the outskirts. A simple nod to the innkeeper and he walked back up the stairs, and arrived at his previous room.

Priscilla just went beyond her limit.

There it was, laying on the bed. It seemed that housekeeping had yet to be in here. Percy cheerily grabbed his favorite garment, and put it on with a dramatic swish. Buttoned it over his left shoulder and drew up the hood.

Teresa was about to give her a swift death.

Perseus walked out the room and the steps, nodding at the inn keeper. He walked out the door, leisurely taking his time getting back to the others. Teresa had this well in hand-she just lost her hands.

It was on this day, in the universe of Claymore, that the sound barrier was shattered for the first time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone watched with shock as Priscilla went past her limit, her back bulging and warping. The poor girl fell to her knees in front of Teresa, her hideous form begging for mercy. Unfortunately, the only mercy was death. She was ready too, Priscilla the Number 2 was ready to die and join her family in Heaven, but Priscilla the Yoma was listening to her self-preservation instincts. So she cut off her executioner's hands.

In the microsecond it took for everyone's brains to register what the hell just happened, the Yoma that was Priscilla was sailing forward on a path to decapitate the Faint Smile. The best part? It would be an easy kill; the Number 1 was still trying to register what happened to her hands.

Priscilla's blade was millimeters away from Teresa's neck…

 **"** **Down, bitch!"**

Priscilla went soaring across the landscape, the land being torn asunder by the force generated by the Claymore's body. She skipped across the earth before digging her feet in, grinding herself to a halt. As soon as she stopped, her Yoma half fully took control.

The Earth trembled as the third Child of the Asarakam Awakened. **"Is that it, then? All that fuss and there was no reason for me to hold back, and I never imagined it would feel this** ** _good_** **."**

Perseus growled to himself. She would die, of that he was certain. The problem was her power: right now, she was more powerful than Isley was. Well, that wasn't much of the problem. He was stronger than Isley was, by far. The real problem was that Priscilla wasn't _done_. The Leviathan could sense a well of untapped power still lying in wait to be released.

"Teresa, get Clare and leave this place; begin regenerating your hands. Take the Claymore's if you wish, but none of you will be able to aid me in the coming fight." Teresa nodded, still in shock over what had just happened. What the others did next was lost to Perseus, for his full attention was focused on the approaching creature.

She was almost as tall as Rigaldo, but her physique was thin and lithe. Her skin had turned a mix of purples. Armored plates covered her breast and the side over her ribcage. Two, massive, moth-like wings sprouted from her back, and two 'branches' stuck out on both of her arms, one on her biceps, the other on her forearms, and they curved back into her body. Perhaps the most prominent feature of the Awakened Priscilla, was the dick sprouting from her forehead.

 **"** **Filthy Yoma, I'll cut you down where you stand!"**

Perseus reappeared far away from where Priscilla slammed her sword down, and had to instantly move again when the One-Horned Bitch materialized behind him. When she followed him again, he whirled around and slammed his fist into her stomach. The force behind the punch made the Awakened Being double over…before the transfer of kinetic energy sent the bitch soaring into the air.

Now that he had some breathing room, Perseus did the thing that would give him the edge.

The earth froze as a pressure settled over it. Percy's body began to glow the same color as his right eye. The ground began to crack and rumble, the sky darkened as clouds dancing with lightning began to gather. The wind began to howl and scream, as if it were crying out it terror.

Perseus' teeth turned into small, needle-like fangs. His hair stood on end, pushing down his hood. The color of the black tips reached down, washing away the white. The White One's body began to increase in size and mass, the green glow intensifying, having a proportional effect on the environment around him.

His clothes began to strain under his muscular size, before they ripped and shredded, becoming scraps on the ground. His skin darkened until it was the color of the night sky. His muscles swelled to inhuman sizes, as well as his head and other places. His eyes turned into glowing orbs the color of the sea. Six bulges appeared on his growing shoulders, seven bulges appeared on his waist, and twelve bulges appeared on his back.

Lightning lit up the sky and thunder shook the earth. The wind had formed into small twisters that swirled in the distance.

 **"** **RaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"**

The Lord of the Abyss reared back and roared. A dome of sea-green green energy blanketed the area. Massive blocks of rock were thrown into the sky and reduced to dust. The lightning became sustained bolts of constant existence. The tornadoes were blasted from reality. The shockwave from the final surge washed over the town, blowing out every single window, and cracking every single structure.

Clare screamed and clung to Teresa as parts of the ceiling rained down on her. Irene was openly gaping with shock, Sophia was covering up her head, and Noel, now cleaned up, was screaming, "What the hell is that!?" When the shaking stopped, Teresa smirked as she looked at her slowly regenerating hands.

"That, Noel, would my little brother getting serious."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Teresa lives, Priscilla Awakens, Perseus is far from happy. Next chapter is going to be as destructive as possible with characters that can't shoot massive beams of destruction._**

 ** _Next chapter: Gods and Monsters Pt. 2_**

 ** _Fav, Follow, and Review!_**


	11. Gods and Monsters Pt 2

**_Welcome back! The long awaited battle is here…The Lord of the Abyss vs. The One Whose Power Surpasses the Abyssal Ones._**

 ** _The Leviathan vs. The One-Horned Woman._**

 ** _Perseus vs. Priscilla._**

 ** _This has been a long time coming. I think everyone reading this was looking forward to this fight, and I was too. There's a surprise this chapter, and I hope everyone likes it. A little hint: revan79._**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Claymore or Percy Jackson

 **P.S. I've encountered a problem w/my doc manger. I try to upload my word files, but it says that it ends in docx. and doesn't have the correct format: msword. Anyone that can help?**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The dome of energy began to fade, along with all of the destructive phenomena that was caused by the power of the demigod's Awakening. A massive cloud of dust remained, hiding the ruined landscape from the view. Only those who could sense Yoki would have any semblance of knowledge of what was happening.

Unfortunately for Irene, Noel, and Sophia, they could sense it just fine. And it scared them to _death._ They had never sensed such powerful Yoki auras. It was inconceivable that such power could exist. It was inconceivable that Little Priscilla could become such a powerful Awakened Being. And by God was it terrifying that those three had not only _fought,_ but had also _insulted_ the one whose aura was weighing down on them like a mountain.

If the Leviathan held a grudge for every baby insult the Claymores had thrown at him, then Irene and Sophia had no doubt that they would be going through the same thing Noel did. Eww.

Teresa's namesake was plastered on her face. Her hands were slowly regenerating; right now they looked like they belonged to a child. She was not worried for her brother; she was worried for what he would do to Priscilla for her attempted murder after mutilation.

The Number 1 remembered a drunken woman who had said some very mean and hurtful things to her. After little Percy had shattered the drunkard's mind, he made her shove a number of rocks into her own anus, enough to actually make her stomach bulge slightly, and then cut off part of his tentacle and made sure those rocks wouldn't be sliding out anytime soon. They later learned that the woman died from infection, internal bleeding, and fecal distribution throughout the body.

Teresa shuddered at the thought of what the Lord of the Abyss would to Priscilla for her crimes, if he was so extreme on a drunk who wasn't in her right state of mind.

Let it be said that Perseus was _very_ protective of his Big Sis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Abyssal Lord's eyes glowed in the swirling dust. The dark clouds that had gathered were beginning to dissipate, beams of sunlight steaming down to the earth.

Perseus grunted, a deep sound, and swiped his arm. The resulting shockwave blew the dust cloud away from him.

It wasn't like he needed his eyes to sense where Priscilla was. The 47th Claymore would've been able to sense her—and probably would've crapped herself like Noel did. It truly was amazing what fear did to people. It could turn a proud, strong, powerful, and noble warrior…into a sniveling mess in desperate need of clean underwear.

Staring deep into the eyes of his adversary, the Leviathan could already see fear clawing its way into her heart. The bright side, Priscilla seemed to lack genitalia, so her pissing down her legs seemed to be impossible.

Over a hundred years of life had taught the Wide Smile the benefit of planning, which led to this internal monologue, _'She is the same height as Rigaldo, but only about a third of the muscle mass. However, muscle size does not equal strength, Yoki does, and she has a lot of it. Expectations: extreme speed, strength, regeneration, flexibility, agility, and elongation of limbs. Wings may or may not permit flight, but the internal veins are more than likely expandable like her fingers. My advantages: size, Yoki, experience, durability, sensory acuteness, and my tentacles. Disadvantages: she is nimbler and more flexible due to her size, and her massive Yoki will allow her to heal from almost all damage. There is also the matter of her untapped power, just brimming beneath the surface. For some reason, she hasn't fully Awakened yet, and is some sort of juvenile stage. I suspect that a powerful catalyst will be needed for her full Awakening. In the meantime, while she is far from being my equal, she is not an opponent that will be so easily defeated. Regardless, she will pay for her transgressions with her life.'_

Priscilla's wings did in fact allow her to fly, because she was steaking at him right now. The Leviathan raised his hand and intercepted the blade, sparks erupting from the contact, but Priscilla had enough strength to push him back.

After skidding back for five seconds, the Wide Smile dug his feet in and snapped the claymore like a piece of glass, before sending Priscilla flying with a thunderous uppercut, the shockwave from the impact washing over the land and upsetting the geography.

The One-Horn proved to resilient—and fast—as she shrugged off the punch and was in front of the ink-colored Awakened Being. She punched him several times in the jaw, shockwaves erupting from each impact, before her smaller fist was intercepted by gigantic meat-claw, and claws were piercing her midsection.

The Abyssal Lord reared back and swung his arm, the one impaled on his claws flying off with a trail of purple blood leaving her body. He vanished in a burst of speed and Priscilla was flying even faster as he struck her with a super powered jab, the pressure from which ripped up the earth beneath her.

The former Number 2 snapped her wings out, halting her impromptu flight. Her chest wounds had already healed. The Leviathan appeared before her, fist cocked back, but she was ready for it. She stopped the punch dead on, the impact creating a booming noise and generating a ground-destroying shockwave, but her arm went numb.

Capitalizing on the momentary surprise of her opponent, Priscilla punched him the cheek with a left cross, but the Leviathan used the momentum and spun around, nailing the new Awakened with a powerful backhand.

She skidded across the earth, before she pumped Yoki into her legs and exploded forward, kicking up dust rocks. She slammed her fists into the Abyssal Lord's stomach, making him grunt in pain, but he raised his arms and slammed Priscilla into the dirt, creating a deep indent.

The force behind the hit made the Awakened Being _bounce up_ out of the new crater, but the Leviathan kicked her straight up, only to punch her with blinding speed and deafening force into the ground, when she reached the appropriate angle. The power behind the strike sent Priscilla tearing through the landscape, ripping a new trench in the ground.

Friction eventually did its thing, and Priscilla came to a stop at the foot of a veritable mountain of rubble. Her Yoki surged around her in a purple cylinder, and she went on the offensive with a terrifying fury. She blitzed straight into the Leviathan's guard, punching him multiple times in the abdomen, before upper cutting him with enough force to lift him off his feet. She grabbed his ankles before he could soar into the atmosphere, and flung him into rubble that his punch created.

He blasted through the giant pile of loose rocks, and was suddenly firmly implanted into the ground when Priscilla popped into existence above him, slamming her feet into his body. The Leviathan's hand snapped up and grabbed his opponent before she could do anything else. He rose to his feet, a snarl escaping his throat, Priscilla's struggles absolutely useless.

The One to Stand Above All Others hurled the One-Horn hard into the air. The G-force Priscilla experienced during her ascent made her feel like she was being squeezed through a tube. She detected a surge in Yoki beneath her, and her eyes widened when she saw what was. She flared her own Yoki and just managed to dodge the tentacle aimed at her heart.

She began to dart through the air, dodging the onslaught of tentacles like a pro. They slashed, whipped, struck, sliced, and weaved through the clouds, sometimes making one of the gaseous water constructs dissipate, but Priscilla avoided them all.

She risked a glance down, and her blood boiled with what she saw.

The Leviathan stood calmly with his arms crossed, his lips parted to expose his needle-like teeth. The tentacles on his back were indeed extended…and were coming right at her.

Priscilla went into a steep dive, and rolled away from a tentacle. Using her newfound opening, the One-Horn thrust her arms out. _'Let's try_ _this!_ _'_ Her fingers extended forward like lances at speed faster than bullets.

The Abyssal Lord frowned at the approaching fingers. She had too much Yoki to effectively manipulate, and he wasn't sure if his armor could resist piercing power of that magnitude. He could always just dodge, but that wasn't as cool. Well, this was the perfect time to put his durability/regeneration to the test.

Surprisingly, her hyperextended claws went straight through him, but a closer inspection resulted in the realization that she had pierced the chinks in his armor, spearing through the exposed flesh instead of the sleek plates.

The Marquis of Murder grabbed the foreign appendages, taking devilish joy at the scared look on Priscilla's face. He gripped them tightly before slinging them to the side, whipping the former Number 2 violently to the ground, kicking up dust. He severed her fingers, the parts still attached to her hand regenerating before sliding back into the dust cloud.

He sucked the Yoki out of the parts still inside of him, making them shrivel up and disintegrate.

The Leviathan dug his hands into the ground, before ripping up a chunk of land roughly the size of a house, before he launched it into the dust cloud. The dust was dispersed and Priscilla was flushed out of her hiding place.

She flew straight at the Leviathan, only to have an earth-shattering punch connect to her jaw. Then she was subject to a massive barrage of shockwave-inducing punches. The Lord of the Abyss calmly strolled forward, his pace matching that of his punches so that it looked like Priscilla was suspended in front of him.

The Number 2 eventually worked up the strength to bring her arms up to block, but her opponent separated them and sent a rib-shattering open hand thrust into Priscilla's chest, making her zoom across the land, cracking a massive stone-pillar. Before she could fall back to the ground, though, the Leviathan was in front of her and he kicked her through the cracked pillar. She landed on her back and bounced up onto her feet, just in time to punch the flying rock formation into dust.

Priscilla cracked her neck and her joints, her regeneration kicking in and mending and repairing all damage done by the battle. If her Yoki was at 100%, now it was at about 63%. The strain on her body from taking such massive hits, and dealing such massive damage, and recovering from such massive internal injuries had taken its toll on her reserves.

Whereas, if the White One's aura was 100%, it was now at about 88%. Priscilla hadn't done near as much damage to him, as he had done to her. As such, his already larger aura had dropped considerably less than his opponent's. Still, it was impressive on its own that the girl had done _any_ such damage to him. Not even Isley, or Riful, or Luciela had pushed him so far.

It was time to end this though. He had far more important things to do than play patty cake with this bitch.

Priscilla grit her fangs, and flared her aura, purple energy angrily swirling around her in a twister of violent power. Her eyes glowed more intensely as her Yoki freely swam through her body, strengthening her muscles, bones, and bodily functions. Her body tensed as her muscles pooled with Yoki, then she was off like a shot, the ground beneath her cratering from the force of push-off.

The Leviathan's own aura blasted out, shattering chunks of rock like glass. He waited for Priscilla to come to him before reengaging in battle. The clash was titanic, the two superpowers going head-to-head like America and Russia. Shockwaves erupted across the landscape, cracking stone, shattering rock, and grinding apart the earth itself. To the denizens of the town, and the approaching creatures, it sounded as if gods were striking the land. Thunderous booms echoed over the continent, the sky began grow dark again, the friction between the two warriors creating enough heat to form storm clouds.

Unknown to Priscilla, whose mind was solely focused on the battle, the Lord of the Abyss was slowly, carefully, herding her towards the North. From the very beginning of the battle, from the very moment he powered up, the plan of the Leviathan was to bring Priscilla to Alfons. He didn't need to throw his aura around, but the battle provided the perfect opportunity to mask his intentions. Isley and the Northern Regiment had no doubt sensed the battle and were on their way here now.

He didn't need them to help win this fight, he could've done that minutes ago, but an instinct was telling him to display his power; to show off his balls, as it were. He wanted to gloat, he wanted bragging rights, he wanted to see the expression on Priscilla's face when she realized how outmatched she was, how powerless she was, how weak she was in this world.

Only when she knew true despair, would the Abyssal Lord give her the sweet release of death.

Priscilla faltered, and she paid for it by being punched _literally_ six feet into the ground. The Purple Butcher firmly planted his foot onto her chest, making the Number 2 cough up blood. He began to press harder, pressing her deeper into the ground.

Priscilla grit her teeth as cracks began to spread further out due to her slow descent. This, this was unreal. She wasn't supposed to be losing! She is the Number 2 ranked warrior in the Organization. It was her duty and her destiny to kill all Yoma. To avenge her Mommy, and Daddy, and Sister, and Brother, she had to kill them all!

Her Yoki began to flood her body once more, and the Leviathan was surprised when his foot was beginning to lift against his will. Eventually, the One-Horn managed to muster enough strength to off balance her opponent and through him off.

She flew up, high into the air. She began to do what the Leviathan did and launched her tendrils at her opponent from her vantage point in the sky. But much like earlier, Priscilla was met with negative success as her tendrils whipped about and further destroyed the landscape, only for the Leviathan to dodge every single one of them in a burst of invisible speed.

The Abyssal Lord suddenly was gone, and was right behind the airborne Priscilla. She whirled around just in time to receive a skull-cracking punch to the head that sent her zooming down to earth, a cone of air surrounding her body before she impacted the earth with enough force to kick up rocks and dirt.

The ground cracked when the Leviathan returned to Earth. He observed the landscape and whistled lowly, which sounded like a rocket trying to take off. You would have to redraw the map of this lace. Craters, trenches, and massive piles of stone blanketed area; stones were upturned, cracks in the bedrock were everywhere, and clouds of dust still rose into the sky.

It looked like a warzone.

Priscilla growled, her skull mending itself. Her Yoki was even lower than it was before, and this battle was taking its mental toll. The Leviathan couldn't outright kill her, she at least had that much power, but she couldn't get the upper-hand either.

No! She would defeat this monster, and then complete her mission to bring the head of the traitor to the Organization!

Priscilla flew a few seconds shy of the sound barrier straight into the Abyssal Lord's face, slugging him repeatedly in the jaw, jerking his spiked head around before landing one solid blow and sending the Leviathan sliding back.

The One-Horned Woman fell to her knees, panting slightly. That had taken a lot of power.

 **"** **That almost hurt…"** a whispery, child-like yet baritone voice said. Priscilla's gaze snapped up to the hulking form of the Duke of Death. He was calmly walking towards her, wiping the purple liquid from the side of his mouth. The Number screamed in rage and attempted to punch him in the jaw, only for her fist to be intercepted with a shockwave and a thunderous boom. She swung her left, only to be met with the same results. The Leviathan leaned in close, **"You done goofed."**

Then he kicked Priscilla square in the chest, sending her ripping across the land. The problem was, the Abyssal Lord didn't let go of her arms, so they came off of her body with a very audible, very cringe-worthy snapping sound.

Then he threw the ripped off limbs into his mouth, chewed them, and then swallowed them.

Immediately, a surge of Yoki travelled through his body. The Leviathan groaned at the pleasant feeling, his wounds healing and his Yoki restoring. The amount of Yoki in Priscilla's arms was testament to her unbridled power. There was enough power in her limbs to bring the Leviathan back to _full_ strength.

His Yoki aura was back at 100%.

Priscilla seethed within her new resting spot. No matter what she did, she couldn't faze him. And now she was without arms, her Yoki aura was less than 40%, and she could sense that the Abyssal Lord's Yoki had just been boosted astronomically. It was over, she was beaten, and about to be dead. The Leviathan was calmly taking his time to get over here, his thudding footsteps slow and evenly paced.

 _Priscilla watched as Daddy ate Mommy's stomach. Sister and Brother were dead, laying in puddles of their conjoined blood, their bodies mangled and torn open, organs half-eaten and not strewn about the floor. Daddy was making her watch; he said she would be next, after he was done with Mommy. Daddy's body was bigger than what it should be, and his skin was much darker, and his eyes were glowing gold in the firelight. He snapped up Mommy's flesh with sickening slurps and crunches. Priscilla herself was only frozen with shock and numb with fear. Her eight-year-old mind couldn't comprehend—didn't understand—what was going on, what was happening. Her Daddy had just killed and eaten his family, and he was going to do the same to her. But her Daddy was a loving, sweet, and caring man; he would never do something like this! He had to be sick—yeah that was it! He was sick…and since there was no doctor around, Priscilla had to be the doctor. Daddy had left his woodsman axe behind him, but he was too focused on eating Mommy. Priscilla had always been a sneaky little girl, she had always won games of hide and seek and was really quiet getting food out of the kitchen. She crept up behind Daddy, super sneaky, and picked up his axe. It wasn't heavy, she used it a lot when she helped Daddy chop wood. This time though, she was chopping off a head. Blood spurted on her face, purple blood. It would be thirty-two days before anyone came to her house again. During that time, little Priscilla survived by eating what was left in the kitchen, and when that ran out, she ate her Daddy. Surprisingly, he was filling. She hated herself, and she hated what her Daddy had done, and what he had become. When the Man in Black came, she begged him to take her with him, so she could make sure monsters like what her Daddy had become could never hurt anybody else. The Man took her with him._

 _Priscilla became a Claymore, her motivation for being strong stemming from her righteous desire to make Yoma go extinct._

She hadn't done that yet. Yoma still freely walked the earth, and they still ate families. There was one approaching her right now, coming to kill her. No, she wouldn't die here… _NOT WHEN SHE HAD SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!_

The Lord of the Abyss paused when Priscilla's Yoki exploded outwards in a torrent of spiraling purple-colored energy. A pillar of energy reached for the dark heavens, wreathed in violet lightning. The intensity of Priscilla's rapidly growing Yoki aura was enough to send rocks ranging from peas to watermelons flying at terminal velocity. Priscilla's arms regenerated, and she began to grow in size…and so too, did her Yoki.

The power washing out of her body grew to such a level that her form was distorted and veiled.

All that the Leviathan was able to see was a form that was getting bigger. She was fully Awakening, he realized. Apparently, intense emotion and a life threatening situation was enough of the necessary catalyst to trigger her final form.

The Abyssal Lord and his Silver General had often discussed the subject of Yoki. What was it? Where did it come from? How did it work? How did you get more of it? What triggered its power? The two had performed experiments, both with themselves and with others to find answers to their questions. So far, the only thing they had concretely discovered was that Yoki was an internal energy that was heavily influenced by will and emotion.

Well, if that was the case…

The Yoki died down, and Priscilla's new form was revealed, and sweet Jesus was she bigger. She stood as tall as him, and was just as well built. Her horn was much bigger, well everything about her was bigger. Her arms, legs, torso, head, and breasts were muchly increased in size. Her hair had become a wild, unkempt mane. The armor plates on her neck and under her breasts had expanded to cover the larger surface area. A third 'branch' had grown on her arms, this one reaching from the top of her triceps all the way up and over her shoulder to her biceps. The biggest change was her wings: instead of their original moth-like appearance, they now looked like the golden wings of a majestic bird, like that of a phoenix. **(description from Ep. 25 of anime)**

How poetic…to rise from the ashes of abject defeat and stand on near-equal footing with the Lord of the Abyss.

 **"** **Now you will die, Perseus. My strength is above your own, and you are weary from our previous engagement. It's over."** her voice resonated and echoed across the land, a melodious sound that could've seduced many a weak-willed man. Too bad the Number 1 was not weak-willed, nor was he a man. He was much more.

The Leviathan chuckled in a way that would have had Jabba the Hutt clapping in approval, **"Why my dear, delusional Dumb Bitch…it hasn't even begun yet."**

Priscilla's face contorted into one of rage before her wings flared out and she was lifted off the ground. The Abyssal Lord put one foot in front of the other, cocking one arm backward and the other forward, and bent his knees slightly. Priscilla flew backward before launching herself at her opponent; Leviathan's foot dug into the ground, before it shattered from the force with which he pushed off.

The tailwind Priscilla's flight generated ripped a massive gash into earth, and the powerful footfalls of the Leviathan punctured deep into land. Their respective colored Yoki auras—purple and sea green—covered their bodies, and the speed at which they were moving made it appear that two comets were fast approaching each other.

They've always asked what happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Why haven't they ever asked what happens when the unstoppable force meets another unstoppable force?

Well, it apparently results in an explosion, which turns into a multicolored dome of energy, which then warps into two crossing beams that tore deep trenches into the earth that reached down for hundreds of feet, which then began to swirl together, turning those deep trenches into an ungodly sized crater, which then began to condense into a tight ball, getting tighter and tighter, the volatile energy being squeezed together with enough pressure that the density of it began to warp and distort the space around it, then caused arcs of electricity to fly around due to the amount of friction, before it began to rapidly expand all the way the edge of the recently-made half-circle, before it near-instantly condensed into an orb the size of a baseball, the ones who caused this whole mess somehow disappearing, before the orb let loose a pulse of energy…before wrapping the earth in caress of a bright, soothing light.

Then it was gone, along with Priscilla and Perseus.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _"_ _Now?" Percy began as he shrugged his shoulders. "Now, I'll rest for the night I think, but come tomorrow I'll most likely be heading further north." At their curious gazes, he elaborated. "There's…_ _something_ _out there," he gestured northwards towards the odd feeling he was getting. "Something tells me something, or someone is out there, and I need to find out who or what it is."_

 _Percy didn't react, merely kept staring into the woods, then after a moment, in which Thalia's smile slowly receded he spoke. "I'm not insane," He started out slowly and Thalia huffed while Zoe rolled her eyes. "My perception of reality is just different than yours."_

 _The Silence stretched on for what could've been hours, none of the trio spoke, their breathing, the crackling of the fire, and the occasional rustling of the wind the only noise that washed over the silence._

The next morning, Percy gathered his things and went further north. The Hunters, because they had nothing better to do and Thalia didn't want to lose her cousin again after finding him, tagged along—with some minor complaint.

After nagging about the slow pace they were going at and they were much faster than he was and females were naturally superior to males, Percy lost patience and brought out his Yoki. Not enough to do anything other than change his eye color, but since his back was to them it didn't matter. He promptly left the Hunters in a cloud of snow.

After a brief moment of speed, Percy came to the outskirts of the Town of Pieta. His main concern was that all of the people that were supposed to be living there were making an exodus. Asking one man what was going on, Percy discovered that a _massive_ amount of Claymores was there, and most of them were among the lower ranks.

That meant that Clare was nearby…

The Hunters had just managed to catch up to him, all of them, even Thalia and Zoe, were breathing heavily. The Daughter of Zeus was about to ask what the hell just happened, and what the hell was going on, when Percy went sprinting into the town gates, much to everyone's growing frustration.

The silver-clad band of girls finally caught up to Percy in the middle of the town, where they found him grinning broadly and his eyes shining with joy. Following his line of sight, the Hunters were shocked to see several women, all of them with blonde hair, white body-suits, grey colored armor, gigantic swords, and the most shocking feature, _silver_ eyes.

The eyes of their mistress, Artemis.

Thalia quietly asked her cousin who all of these people were. His answer was short, sweet, and to the point: Claymores.

Huh, so that's what they looked like.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Introductions went along smashingly. The Hunters and the Claymores got along like old friends. Already they were forming bonds and creating cliques. The Silver-Eyed Witches seemed to enjoy being able to connect and interact with other females that weren't fellow warriors.

Percy was almost in tears when he and Clare reunited. Helen, of course, cracked jokes, to which Deneve whacked her friend upside the head. The group caught up with each other, and Percy was introduced to Jean, and Thalia eventually made her way over. What followed was a lengthy conversation of trying to logically explain how she and Percy were cousins, which ended with narrowed silver eyes, and a promise of a better explanation later.

Miria took the stage and got everyone's attention. She began to explain the purpose for this gathering—which had the Hunters on edge about the Awakened Beings—to which a hot-headed Number 11 mouthed off, drawing the ire of those present, even the Hunters found themselves not liking this woman. Deneve confronted her, but it was the Number 8, Windcutter Flora that ceased all hostilities with a brief display of power.

That was when the Hunter felt mixed emotions. Fear, because they realized just how weak they truly were in this world. Pride, because of how powerful the females were. And on some accounts, jealousy, because they were the children of gods, but they couldn't move anywhere near that fast; especially Thalia. She was having flashbacks to the Artemis Quest, when her lust for power had nearly driven her over the edge. That was her fatal flaw, ambition, the desire for power even when she didn't need it.

Flora's speed…Thalia was envious of the Claymores now, even she knew she didn't need to be.

After order was regained, Miria began to split the warriors into five different groups. The daughters of Athena, and the more intellectually inclined, were able to what the Number 6 was doing right away: she putting the inexperienced with the experienced so they stood a better chance of surviving the coming battle.

To be perfectly honest, the Hunters of Artemis were very nervous. They had seen the looks on the Claymores' faces, and for these girls that were so powerful to be so shaken was a sign that these 'Awakened Beings' were on a level of power that was unreal.

Percy had said that the power he had shown them last night was nothing compared to that of an Awakened Being, and if the Yoma was lowest on the food chain…the Hunters were suddenly feeling a lot less of their previous bravado.

Later that night, three Awakened Beings, all of them male, attacked Pieta. The Hunters did what they could alongside the Claymores, firing arrows that did nothing but shatter against their diamond-hard skin. On many occasions, the Claymores had to go out of their way to save the Hunters.

Percy did what he could, using the snow and his own Yoki to combat the more powerful foe. He held his own, but it was clear that he would've soon died if he tried to fight one of these monsters by himself.

When the snow settled and the fight was over, many were injured, but luckily no one had died. The Hunters finally felt useful in being able to help heal the injured. They were shaken up. In their world, they were the Hunters of Artemis, feared by monsters and demigods alike. Here, they were mincemeat, garbage on the ground, dirt on someone's shoe. A swarm of Yoma wasn't like a swarm of Hellhounds. Without Artemis with them, the Yoma would've torn them apart.

And Awakened Beings? The power they displayed tonight was enough to take everything the Hunters felt superior about, and shit on it. They had never felt such power and fear in their lives. Even during the Second Titan and Giant Wars, they had never felt so completely overwhelmed. Not even Orion had made them feel so weak.

Percy could've very easily torn them down even further, easily lorded over the fact that their arrogance had nearly cost them their lives, but he didn't. It wasn't the kind of man he was. Instead, he commanded the snow to melt, then turn into water before healing everyone inside of the 'med house,' as it was being called.

That really hadn't made them feel any better. Here they were, feeling so inadequate and they finally found something to be beneficial for, only for a _boy_ to do it better than any of them. This just wasn't their day.

And it was about to get much worse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Leviathan smashed fists with Priscilla, there was a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting explosion, then the two of them were sliding back across the…snow?

Senses expanded and the Leviathan was aware that A) he was somehow in Pieta, B) there were about 24 very weak Claymores in the area, C) there were about 40 females with a strange aura around them that wasn't Yoki, D) there was a Claymore that felt disturbingly similar to Teresa but wasn't near as powerful, E) there was what felt like a pitifully weak _male_ Claymore, and F) there was about half of the Northern Regiment here, but these Beings felt more like animals than the serious and disciplined army he had created.

 **"** **Perseus!"**

Think later, fight now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Percy and the others were praying for a miracle right now. The Son of Poseidon had heard about Teresa and Clare, the Twin Goddesses of Love. They seemed to be the main deities of this universe, so they seemed appropriate to pray to.

An army of Awakened Beings had assaulted Pieta, and while the Claymores had killed five of them, three of the warriors had been ripped apart.

The monsters had surrounded them, boxing them in the town square. They were hideous fiends, each one a hellish abomination. Humanoids, animals, disturbing mixes between the two. Percy would've taken Manhattan during his sixteenth birthday over this shit.

Then there was a blinding flash of purple and sea green light, an explosion, and then even the _Hunters,_ who had no sensory ability, could feel the two powerful, suffocating, and oppressive auras that belonged to the two creatures that appeared.

Percy looked to his left, and saw what could be described as Hell's Angel. To his right was what looked like the God from the Black Lagoon. The feeling both of the monsters made the demigod feel like he was facing Tartarus again, like with one look, either one of the them could destroy his soul.

From the faces and reactions of the Hunters and Claymores, they felt something of the same.

 **"** **Perseus!"**

The man in question whipped around to face Hell's Angel, terrified that something this powerful somehow knew his name. The monster flapped her gigantic wings and was sailing high into the air. Someone screamed out 'move!' and everyone scattered into the surrounding buildings.

Somehow, Percy ended up in a building with Clare, Helen, Deneve, Miria, and most of the Hunters including Thalia and Zoe.

"Who the hell are those two!?" Helen roared. Clare's silver eyes were narrowed in anger. "That one there, with the horn," her usually neutral voice was laced with a deep venom. "She's different than the last time I saw her, she's bigger and she feels more powerful, but that's her. Priscilla." The name was apparently well-known, because the other Claymores and even Percy paled at the name.

"Uh…can someone explain to us clueless folk who Priscilla is?" Thalia asked annoyed.

Miria turned to look at her technical counterpart, "Priscilla is known as the One-Horned Monster, and responsible for the death of the most powerful Claymore ever created: Teresa of the Faint Smile." Clare twitched, but Miria continued, "Priscilla and three others were sent to kill Teresa for a crime she committed, but Priscilla was young at the time. One could argue that she was still just a child. During the battle with the Number 1, she surpassed her Yoki limit. Reports say that she begged Teresa to kill her, but it was apparently a trick, and she beheaded Teresa when her guard was down. With nothing stopping her, Priscilla Awakened with an unprecedented amount of strength, and proceeded to kill the other warriors that were with her."

All were silent for a moment before Percy turned to look at Mina, "Killing someone when their guard is done so they can get a big power boost. Sounds like a _male_ thing to do." The Hunter scowled and the Claymores were confused by the remark.

"Anyway," Deneve said, "that explains the one with wings, but about the one with a sea-urchin for a head." Everyone turned to look at the other Awakened Being.

"His eyes," Thalia gasped. "Percy, they're the same color as yours." Heads began to turn back and forth as they compared Percy's sea green orbs to the Awakened Being's own glowing orbs. Thalia was right, their eyes were the same color. "Funny, Priscilla said my full name before she took off."

"Are they…Abyssal Ones?"

Clare shook her head, "I've met an Abyssal One. These two…they're far beyond Riful in terms of power." Blood froze in veins as they realized just how powerful these two monsters were.

On Olympus, during his fight with Kronos, Percy had glimpsed the Titan's true power. Thankfully, Luke had come around and saved the world, so Kronos never got to his true form. During his time here, he had often wondered just how powerful his grandfather truly was. Now he had a reference. Well, two of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Abyssal Lord calmly studied his opponent. She was definitely more powerful now, as a result of her full Awakening. When she took off, the girls had scrambled away like insects under a light. Good, he had questions for them, and talking to a corpse was unproductive.

The Awakened Beings were holding off on any action, conflicted between asking themselves why Priscilla was suddenly on the battlefield away from Isley, or helping her fight the one who was even more powerful than her.

 **"** **Help Priscilla!"** Didn't know who said it, but it was enough to get the others moving against the Leviathan. In other words, it was enough to get them moving on a one way trip straight into the waiting arms of Death.

The Wide Smile hoped his impromptu audience enjoyed the massacre.

The first one die charged head-on only to have his head obliterated. Second and third had their hearts ripped out. The fourth came from behind, but that did little to save his skull. There were twenty left now, and their fates were more of the same. Instead of coming one or two at a time, they all got smart and did something exceedingly different: they gang rushed him…and then they all froze in place.

 **"** **How amusing it is that you all thought numbers actually meant anything in this battle."** The Abyssal Lord's tentacles rapidly blurred for a second before becoming still once more. A high-pitched groaning noise was heard, before the 20 Awakened Beings exploded into tiny pieces, painting Pieta in purple blood.

The First Number 1 looked up the airborne Priscilla, **"Now that the grunts have been dealt with, I believe we were trying to kill each other."**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Before anybody tries to sue me, and for those of you that are utterly confused over what just happened, I have revan79's full permission to crossover into his/her story._**

 ** _To those of you that are looking forward to the next update of PJ: ADIALOM, please don't hate me._**

 ** _Let me know what you all thought, but please don't give me negative feedback!_**


	12. Gods and Monsters Pt Final

**_Alright, mostly well received with the crossover, but there was some confusion that I'm going to clear up. The paragraphs in italics from last chapter were directly taken from revan79's_** ** _Percy Jackson: A demigod in a land of monsters_** ** _. All of the story after those paragraphs took place in that 'dimension.'_**

 ** _I apologize for the confusion I created, it was my bad for not specifying what happened. Honestly, I thought most of y'all had read that story and would've recognized the words._**

 ** _Anyway, this chapter will see the end of Priscilla, the total destruction of Pieta, the Leviathan talking to his 'older' counterpart, and a declaration of war against the Organization._**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I don't own Claymore, PJO, or PJ: ADIALOM_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The First Number 1 looked up at the airborne Priscilla, **"Now that the grunts have been dealt with, I believe we were trying to kill each other."**

Priscilla scowled down at him, and snapped her wings out further. Glowing green lights appeared among her 'feathers,' before those lights streamed down to the ground in the thousands. The Leviathan's eyes widened slightly when he realized what those lights were.

 _'_ _Solidified Yoki. She has enough of it that she can bring it to the surface and chrystalize it, giving it solid form. Here I thought that I was the only one that could do that.'_

The Leviathan easily dodged the constant swarm of Yoki projectiles. The projectiles slammed into the ground and buildings with more force than .50 caliber sniper rounds fired from a minigun. Snow was thrown into the, structures crumbled, and streets were destroyed.

The Leviathan skidded back and thrust his hand out, pulsing his Yoki and halting the projectiles midair, shocking Priscilla. He pulsed his Yoki and the One-Horn blurred away from her own weapons.

Priscilla looked at where the Wide Smile once stood, and saw nothing but a circular cloud of snow. Her golden eyes snapped up on instinct and saw the black form of the Leviathan sailing down at her.

She could've done many things. She could've dodged, she could've flown up to meet him, she could've flown down and got under him. Logic dictated that she simply avoids trouble all together and just flap her wings to gain some distance. But no, she did none of those things; instead, she fired off another stream of projectiles…which were absorbed by the Leviathan which increased his strength by a few percent.

The Lord of the Abyss came crashing down on Priscilla like a vengeful god, taking them both out of the air. They slammed into the ground, indenting the stone. The Leviathan straddled her began to whale on Priscilla's face, each impact driving her head deeper into the ground.

The One-Horn gained enough presence of mind to act, and did so by punching the Leviathan in the side, sending him crashing into a nearby house. She was up in a flash and began to slam her opponent through multiple buildings, making them crumble, causing dust and snow to erupt across Pieta.

The Abyssal Lord growled at this little upstart, and clapped his hands on her ears, stunning the bitch. He sent a super powered punch to her gut, (making her cough blood) then to her chin, (knocking out teeth) then he grabbed her head and slammed his forehead into hers, (sending her tumbling) then he grabbed her outstretched arms and slung her halfway across the town…all in about four seconds.

Priscilla rolled and skipped from the power with which she was thrown. She came to a stop just outside the buildings that were beings used as hiding places. Luckily, her attention was focused on the Leviathan, otherwise she would've been much more interested in the Claymores hiding around her.

She focused her Yoki into her arms, causing two glowing green blades to form from the back of her wrist.

The ground shook lightly with each footstep the Purple Butcher took. He walked onto the main street and looked at Priscilla, already sensing the Yoki blades that she created. It was funny really, just how linear Yoki really was in terms of diversity. It could be used to alter strength and speed, enhance regeneration and reflexes, and change appearance. It was a purely physical energy, so to see it used in such a way was interesting.

Not one to be outdone by a brat, the plates and flesh on the Leviathan's forearms began to bulge and deform, becoming a striated mass on top of arms. The Marquis of Murder flexed his arms, and the mass shot out, instantly elongating into a pair of sword-like blades. **(think Alien's Tarkatan blades)**

His growl of challenge echoed across the silence of Pieta. Priscilla's purple Yoki washed from body and she rocketed forward. The Leviathan smirked and met her halfway, the shockwave from the clash blasting away the adjacent buildings into piles of rubble.

The two Awakened Beings began a deadly dance of swordplay, their weapons moving at speeds too fast for even Miria to see. All that was visible was hundreds of streaks tearing through the air, massive gashes being created on the houses and streets, and the earsplitting din of furiously clashing blades.

Claymores and Hunters alike had to cover their ears, the blades becoming too loud for them to bear. Rubble and dust began to fall upon the females and one male, dislodged from the intense soundwaves.

Leviathan and One-Horn reached a deadlock, a wave of kinetic energy washing over Pieta, shattering glass, and cracking buildings. The two Titans pressed hard against the other. Their blades began to glow red with heat from the force being driven into them. The ground at their feet began to crack from the building pressure, their feet digging deep into the dirt beneath.

The Abyssal Lord grunted and shoved his arms up, throwing off Priscilla's blades, before ripping them down, slicing through her flesh like a hot knife through butter. If this was a classic Japanese anime, back when it was horror, sci-fi, supernatural, and really really bloody, it would've been erotic that the Lord of the Abyss cut straight through Priscilla's breasts, but since this wasn't a classic Japanese anime, it was seriously cringe-worthy.

The Hunters and Claymores grabbed their boobs in phantom pain. Percy tried not to get a boner from seeing so many girls touching themselves.

While her wounds might've seemed debilitating, her extreme regeneration kicked in and the massive cuts were instantly healed. Not a nanosecond later though, was the Leviathan trying to dice her up. His blades carved up Priscilla's flesh like a professional chef, but no sooner had he made a laceration, then it was already sealing up.

Priscilla was healing as fast as he was cutting.

The Leviathan got fed up with the body shots, and went for the head. In a surprising turn of events, he was successful in severing the most important part of the body. However, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, tendrils of flesh burst from Priscilla's severed neck and reattached her damn head.

The Wide Smile mentally sighed. He was fighting one of _those_ types. He had once fought an Awakened Being that healed from just about everything he did to it. He defeated that guy by cutting him into tiny pieces too fast for his regeneration to heal and blowing apart what was left with a pressurized blast of wind.

The problem with using that strategy now was that at speeds too fast to see, she was healing perfectly fine. That left one option for total defeat: drain her Yoki. Easier said than done because she had just shy of the same amount that he did. Might as well get started now.

The Leviathan stabbed her through the stomach and sucked out her Yoki, to which Priscilla responded with punching him square in the face. He was knocked back, his blades being ripped out his opponent, and Priscilla was on the offensive.

She retracted her blades and went for the blunt force offensive. Her punches connected, but the Leviathan's armor held strong. Still though, the unyielding barrage of strikes made him skid back across the street, his feet digging trenches into the cobblestones. It was a shame that Priscilla didn't realize that her Yoki was being drained with every impact.

The Abyssal Lord's hand shot up and intercepted the next punch, thunder echoing across Pieta. Priscilla tried with her other arm, but met the same results. She extended her horn in an attempt to free herself, but a tentacle shot out and cut it off at the base. Blood erupted from the stump like a geyser…and to a Voracious Eater like the Lord of the Abyss, Priscilla's blood was like a fine wine.

Regeneration kicked in and Priscilla got a new horn, but the Leviathan squeezed her hands, turning the bones into powder, bringing the One-Horned Woman to her knees. He began to drain the Yoki out of her, causing veins to bulge on Priscilla's body.

Priscilla screamed and flapped her wings as hard as she could, freeing herself from the filthy Yoma and creating some distance. Her hands spasmed as the bones regrew. She growled. Priscilla had felt the drain that time, and knew what he was doing. She couldn't allow him to get close like that again.

She flapped her wings and soared high into the sky, reaching far into clouds above Pieta. There was no way he could reach her up here. Now all she had to do was wait and let her Yoki regenerate. Then she would return to battle.

The Abyssal Lord smirked and began to walk to right under where Priscilla was suspended. Coincidentally, that was right in the middle of where the children were trying to hide. Points for survival instincts, they didn't come out to see what it was that he was doing.

 **"** **You think you can escape me by hiding in the clouds? You are…incorrect,"** The Abyssal Lord's tentacles snapped out and locked into a straight position. Smaller tendrils erupted, forming connecting strands between the main tentacles. Sea green energy spread between the spaces created, making a patch work of glowing quadrilaterals. **"I suggest all of you trying to hide, to vacate Pieta immediately. I have question to ask the male, and the Claymore who feels like Teresa** , **and corpses are rather unresponsive."** With his warning issued, the Dark Lord of the Sith-I mean, the Lord of the Abyss, took off after his adversary.

When he was gone, the girls, women, and one man exited their hiding places.

"Well, I'm for leaving. Anyone with me?" there was a chorus of yesses, yeps, yeahs, uh-huhs, and nods. No one disagreed or complained about getting the hell out of dodge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The speed with which he ascended took Priscilla by surprise, hell, flying period took her by surprise, and he landed a brain jarring uppercut straight to her jaw that echoed with a boom. Numerous blurs streaked across Priscilla's body, each one resulting with the sound of cracking bone and a sound like thunder.

The Leviathan stopped slugging the shit of Priscilla, and came to a stop in front of her, his wings keeping him suspended.

 **"** **You can fly?"** Priscilla asked as her face mended itself.

The Leviathan stared at her, **"No. Jump good."** (I bet no one here can guess what TV show I just quoted, without using google)

Priscilla growled and generated her arm blades, and flew at the Wide Smile screaming like a banshee. The Leviathan created his own arm blades, but instead of engaging in combat, and just lazily floated away from the temper tantrum throwing little brat.

He hated her so much. She tried to take Teresa from him, and that was unforgiveable. She would die, that was _ordained._ She would also die for tearing them away from their own dimension.

Don't be surprised, the Abyssal Lord had been alive for a long time. He and Isley had often talked about how different things would've been if certain things had happened differently. That had gotten them talking about the possibility of different realities. Apparently, their theories were correct.

There was no way this was his own dimension. The Northern Regiment was only half its appropriate size, and only a third as powerful. The Rigaldo standing on the cliff's edge to the North also felt weaker and more wild than the Northern Lieutenant, and Isley also felt different. That, and what the Awakened Beings had said: 'help Priscilla.'

They shouldn't even _know_ Priscilla, let alone have the familiarity to _help_ her.

His train of thought almost cost him his head, but the Duke of Death vanished in a burst of speed before the Yoki blades could hit him. Priscilla also vanished, but she was just a bit slower than her opponent. It went on like that, the dark sky filled with afterimages of the Leviathan and the One-Horn as they danced through the night. Thunder echoed across the atmosphere as the two beings clashed from time to time. Lightning erupted across the clouds here and there.

A shockwave blasted apart the clouds as the two Titans deadlocked once more. Priscilla's teeth almost cracked from the pressure she was putting on them, and the Leviathan was grinning like the madman he was. The One-Horn was getting weaker, her body not used to this kind of strain.

The Abyssal Lord pressed harder with his arm blades, Priscilla's green ones beginning to crack from the strain. Black arms swelled with strength and the Number 2 was blasted backward, rolling through the air. Massive wings snapped out and Priscilla came to a stop, trying to burn holes through her opponent's head with her eyes.

 **"** **Damn you! Filthy Yoma, just go and die!"**

 **"'** **Filthy Yoma'? Have you looked in a mirror lately, kettle?"**

Priscilla didn't have time to respond as the Leviathan was suddenly zooming straight at her. She created her Yoki blades in preparation, but the impact didn't come from in front…it came from the side?

The Abyssal Lord's hand slammed into the side of Priscilla's head, much to her surprise. Then they were on a nonstop collision course with the Town of Pieta. All the way down, the First Number 1 was draining the Yoki from her body, increasing his own power in the process.

Their impact sent tremors scattering across Pieta, and anything that wasn't already broken was even more so. The nearby buildings surrounding the epicenter of the new crater were obliterated. Priscilla struggled and kicked off the Leviathan, but the damage had been done. Her Yoki was 53%, while his was somewhere in the 90s.

She got up and flapped her wings, trying to gain distance. At her current level of power, she would've been more than a match for Rigaldo, but she would've been just above Isley. As such, the Abyssal Lord grabbed her leg before she could gain any significant distance, swung her over his head in a massive arc, slamming her face first into the ground, further destroying it.

The Wide Smile firmly planted his foot in the middle of her back, making Priscilla wince. He then grabbed her wings with his hands, and pulled. **"Your wings annoy me."** They came off with squelch and an excruciating scream. The Purple Butcher sucked the Yoki out of the wings, making them shrivel up and disintegrate.

Priscilla whimpered, her mind in a state of shock. How could she have been so overpowered like this? She had trained for years and years to be strong enough to defeat any Yoma that crossed her path. She had even held her own against Teresa, and every fiber of her being commanded that she kill that woman. Just as every fiber of her being commanded that she kill the one behind her.

 _It was not going to end like this!_

The Leviathan rolled his eyes as more Yoki began to poor out of Priscilla. Well, he was going to let her power up. He expanded his senses to get a sit-rep on the girls, Not-Rigaldo, and Not-Isley. The females were a few miles out, safe at the edge of a forest; Not-Rigaldo was still on his cliff; Not-Isley was with…Not-Priscilla, apparently.

If any of those three decided to hop in, he was going to pull no punches and tear their heads off and drink the fluid that poured from their necks. Delicious.

The Leviathan effortlessly blocked the punch thrown at him by Priscilla. **"Excuse me, but can you not? I'm in the middle of making sure there won't be any interferences** **for the remainder of this beat down."** Then he twisted her wrist, yanked her forward, and viciously head-butted her. Then he punched Priscilla multiple times in the stomach, each one will enough power to further lift her off her feet. Briefly suspended in the air, the Lord of the Abyss sent one final jab that had his junior zooming across Pieta, making building and street alike crack and crumble into rubble.

Priscilla shakily got to her feet, but she got no reprieve. The Leviathan slammed his spiked shoulder right into her armored chest, pile driving her into the ground. He used his forward momentum to roll off of her, and then grabbed her horn while she was still down.

Priscilla's eyes widened as her horn was grabbed and she was dragged across the ground. Her foot was grabbed by the First Number 1, and she was suddenly on a merry-go-round of pain as her head slammed repeatedly into building after building, the Leviathan gaining ground as he swung her around.

He let her go and watched as she crashed into the ground, making a Priscilla-shaped indent. She got up just in time for the Leviathan to grab her face, and the use her as a battering ram through just about everything else in Pieta.

The Marquis of Murder slid to a stop, Pieta now in all but ruin, a barely conscious Priscilla still in the palm of his hand. He drew his other arm back and flicked his arm blade into its extended position, before stabbing Priscilla through her heart. He raised his blade-arm up, letting his other fall back to his side. As Priscilla was lifted, she coughed blood onto the Wide Smile's cheek.

His tongue snaked out and licked it off.

Priscilla snarled and her fingers shot out like bullets. They pierced the small, vulnerable places in the Yoma's disgusting body. He groaned lightly, but didn't seem overly injured. His eyes glowed with furious intention, and Priscilla understood the silent message.

Bad move.

Priscilla's howl of pain echoed all the way across the Northern Land of Alfons as her Yoki was violently ripped from her body. Not only did she have part of the Leviathan stuck inside her…she also had part of herself stuck inside him…and because of that, draining her Yoki was at an all-time easy.

When she was down to _20%_ of her Yoki, the Abyssal Lord retracted his blade, but as soon as Priscilla's body dropped half an inch, pain, fatigue, and nausea seared her nervous system as she was launched through the frigid air at Mach 1, a shockwave erupting from where she once was.

She sailed high through the air, gaining distance as much as speed. The only reason that her head hadn't exploded, and her body be turned to ash from the air friction, was her remaining Yoki, which was now 17%.

She slammed into the cold, frozen ground a few miles outside of Pieta's front gate. So low on Yoki she was, that she reverted back to human form…stark naked in the snow. Her eyes were no longer slit and golden, nor were they the color of liquid mercury, now they were a soft brown color, as was her hair that was in the same style as her Claymore form, only longer.

If she was more conscious, she would've been aware of the audience about fifty yards from her head at the edge of the forest.

The Lord of the Abyss, a veritable _god_ , materialized in front of her. His black form towered above her, his face set into a terrifying snarl, his eyes two beacons in the night.

"P-please don't kill m-me," Priscilla begged.

The Leviathan growled, his lips rippling. His body glowed brightly, blinding those that were watching. When the glow faded, Perseus stood before Priscilla. Five feet tall, naked, feminine body build, snow-white hair with black tips, faint scar running from his neck to abdomen, and heterochromic eyes that glowed with _intense_ displeasure.

"You beg me to spare your life, yet you had no qualms with trying to take my sister's," he said without emotion. "For over a hundred years I lived in isolation, travelling all over this godforsaken continent. Killed when I wanted to, ate when I wanted to, did whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it. I forgot what it felt like to have someone to connect with. Then I finally met Teresa…and your happy ass cut off her hands before trying to cut off her head." He spoke slowly, making sure every word was heard very clearly. "And then you have the balls to beg me for mercy."

He raised his right arm up, bringing his hand up to his head, his fingers splayed out and pointed at Priscilla. Said former Number 2 was whimpering during his monologue, and now tears were beginning to slide down her face. The audience could only watch, frozen in shock.

"No tears, please," Perseus said, "it's a waste of good _suffering_!"

All of but his middle finger suddenly lashed out. The digits ripped right through the bottom of Priscilla's feet and the palms of her hands, burrowing through her limbs. The girl screamed and writhed as her body was torn apart from the inside.

Perseus flexed his fingers and raised the bitch from the snow, blood staining it red. His fingers dug deep enough to reach the elbow and knee joints. Instead of trying to tear through those, he commanded his fingers to rip out of Priscilla's flesh, bypassing the joints, and reenter elsewhere.

In this case, the Leviathan's fingers reentered through the Number 2's ass cheeks and boobs.

"Do feel that, Priscilla? That is what I would've felt if you succeeded in taking my Big Sis from me. But it's not over yet. Do I detect…virginity?" His face seemed to be cut from granite, "Let's fix that, shall we?"

Priscilla's eyes were rolling into the back of her head at this point, the pain from having spear-head worms dig through her body almost frying her brain, but new waves of excruciating experience set her body on fire as another spear pierced right up her vagina, violently tearing up through the cervix and uterus, before continuing _up_ into her body, with the other digits.

Priscilla's screams turned into muffled gags as her throat began to bulge, and air was blocked. Bigger, and bigger, and bigger, her mouth was forced open, and then the Abyssal Lord's fingers exploded from the One-Horn's oral cavity, covered in blood and gore.

"You suffer beautifully, but I've grown bored of your flesh."

Perseus activated his favorite ability and sucked the remaining Yoki from her body; it was about on par with a warrior in the teens. He flexed his fingers, violently ripping them out of the former Claymore's fried out husk, making it explode in a cloud of dust and ash that blew away in the breeze.

Perseus took a deep breath as a feeling of calm washed over his soul. He couldn't recall a time in his in 113 years that he had ever felt such emotion. He guessed Teresa meant much more to him than he originally thought.

Now then, about why that Claymore felt like Teresa, about that man with Yoki, and those girls that smelled old and felt weird.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The large group of females and one male safely made it to the edge of the forest surrounding Pieta. Colossal booms and bolts of lightning littered the sky. Percy turned to look at Thalia, but her gaze was locked onto the clouds, her mouth gaping.

She wasn't causing this.

The booms went silent for a moment, then everyone saw the two Awakened Beings streaking down to the ground. The ground shook violently and a massive plume of dust erupted. There was another boom, before an earsplitting, female scream came from Pieta. It was silent before there was an eruption of purple energy, followed by an orchestra of cracks, booms, and crumbling stones with eruptions of dust.

In no time at all it seemed Pieta was reduced to rubble.

"It's like…Superman fighting Supergirl," Percy said softly, gazing at the destruction. "Both of them are really powerful, but one is just so much stronger than the other." Not even Mina the Huntress found the fire to make a sexist remark.

"Uh," Helen said, "Who are 'Superman' and 'Supergirl'?"

Before Percy could dwell on his slipup on pop-culture, there was louder-than-average boom and all eyes were drawn to flying form of Priscilla. The Awakened Being crashed down hard in the snow, about half a football field's distance away.

They all watched as she reverted to an admittedly cute human form. Most of the Hunters looked like they wanted to rush to her side, the Claymores looked perfectly fine staying right where they were, Percy knew from experience not to approach, and Claire seemed to have rabies.

Any attempt at further action was shot down like a wounded duck when Green-eyes blurred into existence. A new wave of shock rippled through the crowd when he also reverted to human form…into that of a child.

A child with a silver and sea green eye, that looked _exactly_ like a younger version of Percy.

Claymores and Huntresses listened with no small degree of confusion as the child went on a monologue about his past. It raised so many questions, but what happened next made some people faint. Not even the battle-hardened Percy, who had seen many disturbing things in his time here, could keep his dinner down. That wasn't tentacle rape, that was torture plain and simple.

And that wasn't a child, either. That was a monster worse than Kronos.

A monster that was currently making his way over here. Oh Hades.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus stared at the assembled females; they all stared back with caution, fear, and weariness. One Claymore had turned the snow yellow. Shifting his attention from the ones that posed almost no threat, to the ones that posed absolutely no threat. It was interesting what they were wearing; those were clothes he had never seen before. All silver though? Were they a fan club or something?

The man with the Yoki, though…looked startlingly familiar. Raven hair, green eyes that were a shade darker than his own, a face worn down by battle and stress, a black cloak hiding most of his body, but Perseus sensed something beneath that cloak, something familiar…

The Leviathan turned his attention to the one that felt like Teresa, and almost fell down. She was older than he remembered, her hair in a different style, her eyes less round and more serious, but it was still clear as day to him: since when was Clare a Claymore?

On a side note, no one seemed bothered that he was naked.

"You can relax, you know. I'm not going to bite." If anything, his words only seemed to increase the tension. There was a shuffling and a tall warrior stepped forward. Her hair reached past her shoulders, was parted in the middle so that it exposed her forehead, and was spikey-ish. By the way she walked, and the size of her aura, she was the leader of the assembled battalion.

"I am Phantom Miria, the Number 6 warrior in the Organization. May I ask who you are?"

Points for politeness. Miria realized that she was in the presence of someone stronger than everyone here put together, and was smart enough to realize that pissing him off and acting high-and-mighty was not in their best interest.

"Given the circumstance, my name and previous rank don't really mean anything, but since you asked politely instead of demanding, I'll indulge you. My name is Perseus of the Wide Smile, and I was ranked Number 1 in the Organization." Someone fainted.

Miria went pale, and Perseus successfully kept the smirk off his face upon feeling the shock ripple through the Claymores and the girls. Miria's mouth opened and closed like a fish's, her mind trying to come up with something to say.

"That's impossible." Perseus looked at the one who had spoken. Her hair was slicked back, but she had multiple bangs prominent on her forehead. Based on her aura, she was probably ranked somewhere between eight and ten. "The only male Number 1 was Isley. You're lying."

Perseus looked at Jean out of the corner of his silver eye, "Why on earth would I be lying about something like that? I literally have no reason to."

"You have a reason to lie because you're an Awakened Being, and lying is what your kind do."

"Racist."

Jean blinked, "What?"

"You said 'your kind.' Racist."

"B-but I—"

"No, no. It's okay. My feelings aren't hurt or anything. You probably didn't even know I had feelings. Racist."

Jean stamped her foot in frustration, "Look, kid, I—"

"Silence, Racist."

"Hey—"

"Sht."

"That's not—"

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exZIPIT A."

"Would you—"

"Hey, I've got a barrel of 'sh' over here with your name on it."

Jean's face burned red in both anger and embarrassment. There were Claymores trying not to laugh, ones openly busting a gut, ones laughing behind their hands, and ones that had the emotional capacity of a rock. The girls in silver fell into the latter category; only the one with the blue eyes was chuckling.

She felt familiar.

Miria got out a few chuckles before she turned serious again, "Regardless of who you are, why are you here?" Perseus shrugged, "Well I was making sure Priscilla didn't kill Teresa—"

"Stop saying her name."

Perseus leaned around Miria and looked at Clare, as did everyone else. Her head was inclined, so her pageboy hair covered her eyes. She kept it well under wraps, but the Wide Smile could feel her Yoki bubbling beneath the surface. She was angry.

"Stop saying her name like you _know_ her." Clare raised her head, revealing her golden eyes. "There is now way you could know Teresa."

Perseus narrowed his heterochromic eyes. This may be Clare, but it wasn't _his_ Clare, and he was not letting some brat dispute the relationship between him and his Big Sis. "I don't believe I was talking to you," Clare jerked, "but your interruption has provided an opportune moment for conversation. Is your name Clare, by any chance?"

Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion, "It is."

"Thought so. Can you explain to me why your Yoki aura feels like a weaker version of Teresa's?"

CHANG

Perseus was highly amused as Clare tried to cut off his head. Miria had jumped away the moment Clare moved. Swords were drawn and arrows were notched. Why everyone was on edge was beyond the Wide Smile, it just Clare failing at decapitation.

"I said, don't say her _name_!" Clare snarled in his face.

"Wheeeeew, your breath smells like fish." He leaned over to look at Jean, "What have you been eating recently?" Clare grunted and leapt back.

"Look, if you can't hold a civilized conversation with me, I'm sure I can get my answers elsewhere."

"Civilized conversation?" Clare asked disbelievingly. "You're not even wearing any underwear!"

"That is not my fault. Assuming my Awakened form destroys anything on my body. And I don't see any of you having the common courtesy to offer me anything to wear, so ha."

Perseus easily caught the oversized cloak thrown at him by the lookalike, and put it on with a flourish. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"So, why does your aura feel like—" Clare growled, and Perseus rolled his eyes— "why does it feel like the Number 1's?" The Claymore remained silent. "Fine then, I'll do something I haven't done in over three decades: theorize."

The Abyssal Lord began pacing, his new cloak dragging across the snow. "To start things off, the way you react to me, a 'Yoma,' saying her name. You clearly bear a resentment for me and my kind—shut up, Racist—so you and she were very attached at one point, but something tragic happened. That tragedy was somehow linked to Priscilla, because I heard everything you said about her back in Pieta, and then there was the way you reacted to her presence just a few minutes ago, and then there was the way you reacted when _I_ was the one to kill her. Clearly, you wanted her head for herself. But 'why' is the question. The answer is actually simple really: Priscilla cut off your mother figure's head, so you took it to a member of the Organization and those bastards saw the perfect opportunity to perform an experiment using the flesh of another warrior instead of the flesh of a Yoma. And so, after Teresa's flesh was implanted into you, you became a Claymore and have probably spent your entire career working on the power to kill Priscilla. Am I right?"

Tears fell down Clare's face as the Awakened Being in front of her dredged up bad memories. The assembled warriors could only feel sympathy for their comrade and disgust for the Organization. The Hunters felt the same things, and they didn't even know this girl on a personal level.

Percy though, he put his hand on Clare's armored shoulder, and the usual stone cold warrior whirled around and pulled her friend into a tight hug, her emotional dam finally breaking after so many years.

"Good job," Miria said. "You've gotten her to open up, but it was in front of a bunch of judgmental women. She's probably going to slap you, and then her boy toy is probably going to punch you."

"Meh. By the way, her 'boy toy's' name…what is it?"

Miria looked at the Awakened Child, "His name is Percy."

Perseus chuckled softly to himself, "What a coincidence, that's what the people I'm close to call me." The sound of crunching snow cut Miria off as Thalia approached, "Hey."

"Need something?" Perseus asked.

"Yeah. Just who the Hades are you exactly?"

Hades…that name rang a bell. A dark, worrisome bell that warned to stay away from it. "I told you who I was. I'm Perseus of the Wide Smile, was ranked Number 1 in the Organization before I Awakened. Who are you?"

The girl narrowed her blue eyes, and _sparks_ came from her hands, getting everyone's attention, "I'm Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis." She sounded proud of that.

"You say that like it's supposed to impress me or something. It just makes me question where all of these words are coming from. Hades, Zeus, Artemis? Never heard of 'em."

Thalia didn't relent, "I think you have. You're either lying to us, or you just don't remember. Who're your parents, _Perseus_?"

The Wide Smile frowned; this girl was weird. "Never met my parents. My first memory is when I was around eight-ish and I woke up in a torture chamber that belonged to a rather disturbed man called Dae."

"Who's Dae?"

Every Claymore shivered and rubbed various spots on their body, phantom pains coming to light from memories of days long past.

"Dae is the Organization's Head Trainer, Researcher, Doctor, Scientist, all around psychopath, and closet pedophile. He's the one that performs the lovely operation of surgically implanting Yoma flesh inside of people. Prime subjects being little girls, but from my memories, he's not opposed to little boys either."

"Did he do anything to you?"

"Oh yeah. Lots of stuff. Although, probably the strangest thing he tried to do was put his erect penis in my mouth," he sounded like he was telling a joke and leading up to the punchline, "so I bit it off and spit it out. He screamed like a eunuch."

Thalia's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell backwards into the snow.

Perseus clapped his hands together, "Well, not that this hasn't been fun, ladies, but I have the answers to my questions. Clare has Teresa's flesh in her instead of Yoma. Her boy toy over there is an alternate version of me, but I've lost interest in him. I don't really care who you people are, nor do I feel like trying to get to know any of you." The silver girls growled and reached for weapons. "So if it's no trouble, I think I'll be on my merry way trying to figure out how the hell to get of this dimension and back to my own. Ta."

"WAIT!"

"Oh for luv of god, what now!?" Perseus said in a thick accent.

Clare had somehow cried herself to sleep, and was using OtherPercy as her impromptu bed. He was the one who had spoken, so Perseus asked, "Do you want your cloak back, is that it?"

The man shook his head, "You can keep the cloak. You said that where you're from, you were the first Number 1 Claymore."

"Yes."

"You said that you Awakened, but why? If you really are me, why would you do something like that?"

Perseus cocked his head to the side, "Does there really have to be a reason? Does everything that happens in the universe have to have some complex logic and theory behind its happening? But since you sound so desperate, I'll tell you anyway: I wanted to."

The assembled force's collective eyes bugged out of heads. One silver girl muttered something like 'typical power-hungry male.' The Wide Smile wondered what crawled up her ass and died.

"Y-you just…w-wanted to?" OtherPercy said slowly.

"Uh-huh. After sixteen months of slaughtering pests and my own former comrades, and then learning that every single remaining male Claymore migrated to Alfons so they could Awaken, leaving me as the last man standing against a tide of estrogen, I got bored with how life was going. I mean come on, it was either keep doing the same thing over and over and over again until I grew close to my limit only to put down like an animal by a bunch of people not even a tenth as powerful as me, or see how the other half lived.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand what's it like to be an endangered species, so sympathizing with me is not something I think is possible. But I do want to know this: why do all of you warriors do what you keep doing? Why do live such a mundane life of killing, only to be killed when you all inevitably lose control? Is it because of vengeance against the Yoma because they killed your families? Is it because you just enjoy the feeling of your blade cleaving through flesh? Or are you just too scared to do anything else with your brief life?"

The Claymores shuffled and looked at their feet, unable to come up with an answer.

"I do it because it's my job to kill little freaks like you." Heads turned to the Claymore who had spoken. She was tall, her muscles swelled with Yoki, her hair was long and flat, and she carried two swords. "I do it because I have to, and no one else will. Don't go questioning my resolve, little boy, just because you couldn't handle a bunch of girls."

Perseus stared at her for a long time, and people were afraid he might attack, but he did something completely insane: he laughed. It wasn't just a good natured chuckle that happened at the end of a joke; this was full-blown, asylum patient, madman laughter. The Wide Smile through his head back and howled with merriment.

When he finally calmed back down, he looked at Undine with a half-lidded gaze and a drunken smile. He screamed danger. "Balls. You have some serious balls of talking to me like that, child. I didn't Awaken because I 'couldn't handle a bunch of girls.' Do you have any idea how many of your kind I've killed? How many of your kind I turned into Awakened Beings? I wouldn't expect you to know this, but I was single-handedly responsible for the annihilation of over twenty generations of warriors. I was responsible for the deaths of over a _hundred_ Number 1 warriors over the course of a century. I was responsible for multiple generations that lasted for less than two weeks. You want to know why I Awakened? I got tired of being a test subject."

Looks of horror were replaced with looks of confusion.

"What do you mean, 'test subject'?" Miria asked carefully.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

Perseus roared with laughter again, "Every Claymore, from the time of men to this current generation, have test subjects for a war."

"What war?"

Perseus grinned deviously, "An off-continental war involving the superiors of the Organization, and a species known as the Asarakam. You might also know them as the Dragon's kin. The purpose of the Organization is to create and test a warrior that can handle the power of Yoki, and Awaken, without losing control. In over a hundred years, they have been remarkably unsuccessful in their endeavors. However, they seem to making some headway in a controlled Awakening by using siblings—"

"Alicia and Beth," Miria whispered.

"Come again?"

"The Organization has succeeded in what you're talking about. The current Numbers 1 and 2 are twin sisters, and they use a technique called 'Soul Link.' With it, one sister can Awaken, basically creating an artificial Abyssal One, but the other can keep her in control and bring her back to humanity."

Perseus smiled ruefully, "Well then, I'd say all of you just became expendable. No, scratch that. You were already expendable, otherwise you wouldn't have been sent on this Northern Suicide Mission. If the Organization has found a way to control Awakening, then they were trying to clear out the ranks and replace them with more Soul Link Claymores to properly test them out. All of you weren't outright executed because the Men in Black are trying to save face. Imagine what the public would do if they found out that it was them who created the Yoma…"

Absolute silence.

"What is this, exhibition time? Upon arriving on this land, the Organization used the flesh of their fallen enemies, the Asarakam, to create a parasite. Orphan boys were rounded up, and either sent to the uninhabited North, or the headquarters in the East; we all know what happens in the East. In the North, the children were subject to the parasite and became the very thing we all used to hunt: Yoma. Mass-producing the parasite lead to a pandemic across the continent, the perfect testing ground for a new breed of warrior. The Organization swooped in and introduced their knights in shining armor," Perseus spread his arms wide, "the Claymores!"

He looked around at the faces of the Silver-Eyed Witches. Predictably, they all looked like kicked puppies. "Interesting, isn't it? The feeling of betrayal, the sensation of your world shattering, the light in your head as the curtain is lifted and reality is laid bare before you. I do wonder though, now that all of you have realized that you're little more than cattle to the Organization, what will you do now?"

Perseus turned around and began to walk away, intent on leaving the females to their thoughts and searching for a way back to Teresa, when Miria said, "Hold on."

"Oh what now?"

"You know all of this; do you what the Organization's real name is?"

"I might."

"Could you please tell us?"

Perseus was silent as he debated the pros and cons of telling them the real name of the Organization. Eventually, he came to a decision. "The Organization's real name is…" he turned his head to the side, exposing his green eye shining with mischief, "…the _Umbrella Corporation_!"

OtherPercy and the silver girls face planted, and the Claymores were completely lost. "Just kidding. Their real name is the Bio-Weapons Research and Development Department."

Perseus began to walk away again, but he was interrupted _again_. "What do you want now? The answer to the meaning of life?"

"Well," OtherPercy said, "you kept saying you were from another dimension…how did you get to this one, and how do you plan on going back?"

"Don't know how I got here, probably had something to do with Priscilla. Don't know how to get back, but I'll find a way. Bye now."

"WAIT!"

"For the love of all that is sacred…what the fuck do want now?"

"I just wanted to say good luck…"

"Oh. Well thank you. Good luck with whatever it is that you're going to do too." As he walked off, he said over his shoulder, "Get that spear looked at, and hurry up and screw Clare silly before one of you dies and you never see each other again." Jaws dropped and faces turned bright red.

Then, before anything else could be said, the Lord of the Abyss vanished in a burst of speed too fast for anyone to follow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus reappeared _far_ away from Pieta. The climate change almost gave him a headache. If he had to guess, he probably somewhere deep in Toulouse.

That had been an experience. Reeking vengeance upon Priscilla, defeating a rival Asarakam at the same time, speaking to a future generation of Claymores of an alternate dimension and enlightening them of the nature of their world, talking to a grownup Clare, interacting with an alternate, far-weaker-yet-so-much-more-interesting version of himself (which was trippy), and probably started a rebellion. Now, how to get back home so he could conquer his continent…

A bright ball of light appeared in front of Perseus, who tensed at its illumination. The ball got closer, and brighter, and created an intense ringing noise as it did so. The light enveloped his vision, and the ringing enveloped his ears. It got so unbearable…then it was gone.

Perseus blinked as realized he was standing in the middle of a gigantic crater. Expanding his senses, he almost jumped and screamed with joy as he felt Teresa, Irene, Noel, and Sophia about three miles away. He was back, bitches!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few days later_

The leaders of the Organization were situated in their council chamber, all of them dressed in their black robes with ornate gold pieces here and there. They were discussing the failed Teresa assassination mission, the battle between the Leviathan and the Awakened Priscilla, and what to do with Numbers 3, 4 and 5. They had failed after all, and failure was not tolerated within the Organization.

BANG

"Sup pussies!" the Men in Black could only stare dumbly at the child in the white cloak that just broke down their door, interrupting their meeting.

"Rimuto! Dae! Good to see you both alive and in good health. I was afraid I had missed my chance to personally send you to Hell myself. But enough of the warm, fuzzy welcome bullcockus. Gentlemen of the Bio-Weapons Research and Development Department, I am Perseus of the Wide Smile, but you may know be better by my epithet, Leviathan." Someone fell out of their chair.

"Over the past century I have united the ones you call the Creatures of the Abyss under my proverbial banner. For those of you still lost, that means that Isley of the North, Riful of the West, and Luciela of the South all obey me without question or preamble. Also over the past century, it was I that has been slaughtering the Number 1 warriors like insects," someone said 'told you, now pay up,' "and sending a large number of Awakened Beings to each quadrant. In laymen's terms, I have created an army that has at least 80 years of experience.

"I am here to tell you that you now have a month to fortify your location, call back your troops, strengthen your army, and flee like flies before I lay siege on this place and mow it to the ground. Good day, faggots." With that, the Leviathan was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So how'd they take it?"

"They actually handled it pretty well, Isley."

"Intriguing. Would like to know that status of our army?"

"Of course I would."

"Not counting the Generals and I, nor our spies in the Organization, we have a grand total of 91 Awakened Beings in the Army. We have 13 soldiers in the Southern Regiment, 35 in the Western Regiment, and 43 soldiers in the Northern Regiment. Each soldier has been trained in every aspect of Yoki known to us. Sensory, speed, durability, regeneration, strength, elongation, and manipulation. They have been especially trained to kill first, then eat. Your exact words were 'I want an army more worried about victory, than future shit.' I believe I speak for my fellow Generals when I hammered that philosophy into them."

"And their loyalty?"

"To you and us, my Lord."

"Excellent. And how are Teresa and Clare?"

"Perfectly fine. The men are staying far away, the reputation of the Faint Smile and their respect for you are keeping them from doing anything foolish. However, Young Clare has informed me that she has something important she needs to ask you and Teresa when you get the chance."

"Wonderful. Now is the perfect chance." Perseus stood up and began to take his leave, but Isley called out to him, "Perseus, you should know though, that the soldiers are getting antsy. Decades of waiting for war, and with it only being 29 days from now…they may get impatient."

"They will do what I tell them to. We've waited this long, old friend, they can wait a few more weeks. Punish anyone who disobeys."

Isley bowed slightly at the waist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clare was nervous as she looked between her mother-figure and her best friend. "You can tell us anything Clare. What's been eating you?" Teresa asked gently. Clare fidgeted, trying to work up the nerve to say it. "Come on, kid, out with it. I've got a war to prepare for." Teresa whacked Percy over the head.

Taking a deep breath, Clare closed her eyes and shouted, "I want to be like you!"

…

…

…

"Uh…define 'be like you'?" Percy asked slowly. Clare looked at them, she seemed almost desperate, "I want to be like you two. I want to have Yoki and powers. I don't want to be a burden to you and Mo-Teresa! I want to help. The Organization hurt both of you, and I want to be there to hurt them back!"

"Clare—" Teresa started, but Percy, back in his pre-Priscilla outfit, hopped on top of her shoulders, making her stumble from the sudden weight shift. He 'steered' Teresa out of the quaint little home they were staying at (which was on a cliff side somewhere in Lautrec), and he went sprawling to the ground with his sister.

"She's not going to let that rest, even if we both so say no."

"I'm aware of that, Little Brother, but I don't want her going through what we did just for the sake of a little bit of vengeance."

"Hah. If you think _that's_ why she wants to be a Claymore, then you're denser than I first thought, dear Sister."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I are the only good things to happen to her in her short years of life, so her young mind wants to emulate us so she can be more well connected to us; to have more in common with her family figures. Since you didn't notice, Clare slipped up and almost called you 'mom.' She never had a real mother in her life, so she's in that be-like-mommy-stage that all young people go through in life. Telling her no would probably break her heart, but this is really more your decision than mine. But if it came down to a vote, it would be 2:1 our favor."

Perseus got up from the grass, "Think it over, would'ya? I'm feeling tired, and I literally haven't slept in months so yeah…goodnight, or whatever you say to people in the middle of the afternoon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus' eyes snapped open, and he was immediately aware that there was something _very_ wrong.

A) he was not wearing the same clothes he went to sleep in

B) he was wearing weird blue pants, and a weird orange shirt with faded white stuff on it

C) he sensed absolutely _no_ Yoki as far as his senses stretched, and Teresa was supposed to be in the other room

D) he looked to be in the ruins of some old house

Finally, E) arching his back so he could rest the top of his head on the grassy ground, he thought,

 _'_ _Wolves do not get that big.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 ** _OH SHIIIIIIIIT!_**

 ** _Priscilla is dead! Percy shattered a timeline! He got back safe and sound! He's gearing up for war, but what's this!? HE'S AT THE WOLF HOUSE!_**

 ** _Fav, Follow, and Review please!_**


	13. Olympian Reaction

_Olympian's Reaction_

 _ **I'm pleasantly surprised that people actually know what Samurai Jack is. I also through in some Hellraiser last chapter, so if you didn't get it the first time, busy yourself and go find it.**_

 _ **Good news for certain people, this will be the last dimension hop for quite a while.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I do not own PJO, HOO, or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _August 18, 2009_

 _Olympian Throne Room_

 _Moments after Kronos fucked everything up_

Annabeth could only stare in shock at what she had just witnessed. Luke had stabbed himself, there was a surge of power as Kronos was destroyed, but she saw the Titan thrust his hand out—Luke's hand—and then Percy was thrown into what looked like a hyperspace tube from Star Wars. Riptide had fallen from his grasp and clattered lifelessly to the ground.

The portal closed, taking Percy with it to wherever it leads to.

The Olympians busted down their own doors, all of them dressed in battle armor with weapons out, ready to fight their father/grandfather. The Hunters and Campers, what was left of them anyway, were following close behind. They found no foe to fight; only a dead hero, and a shell-shocked girl.

"Annabeth," Athena said, "what happened here?"

The demigoddess looked at her mother, a dazed looked still in her eyes, "Percy and I…we fought Kronos, and almost lost. We both managed to bring Luke back out…he preserved Olympus. He used my knife…the cursed blade, and he stabbed his vulnerable spot. He took down Kronos and himself…but something happened…" Annabeth trailed off like she wasn't sure of herself.

"Where's Percy?" Poseidon asked upon noticing the absence of his son.

"Percy's…Percy's…I think that…Percy's…gone?" Annabeth fell backwards, her body finally submitting to its injuries and exhaustion. Her mother was at her side before her head could slam into the marble floor. Athena's storm-grey eyes bored holes through Apollo's head, and the Sun God was right next to them.

He put one hand on Annabeth's forehead, and the other on her chest, right above her heart. In any other circumstance, Artemis would've jumped onto her brother for touching a maiden in such a way, but this was a specific circumstance. This was not the time for their usual gag.

Apollo glowed as he used his healing powers on his niece. Annabeth's bruises faded, her cuts and scrapes healed, and her bones mended themselves. The concussion she had was also healed.

Apollo stopped glowing, and Annabeth gasped as she woke back up. She felt tired and energized at the same time, her skin felt dry and stretched, her face felt like it was covered in dirt, she was in desperate need of a shower, and her panties were riding up in some not very nice places.

"What happened to my son?" Poseidon said now that Annabeth was no longer delirious.

The demigoddess looked just as panicked as the god felt, "Luke stabbed himself and killed Kronos, but something happened before he was completely destroyed. He thrust his hand out, and Percy was blasted into some kind portal, before it closed with him in it. Then all of you came in."

Poseidon's eyes widened before irrationality set in. He gripped his trident and glared murder at his rival's daughter, "Lies! Tell me the truth now, Owl-spawn. **WHERE IS MY SON!?** " Poseidon's voice thundered with godly power, shaking Olympus and making the demigods cover their ears.

"Uh, Uncle P…you might want to look at this."

The Sea God whipped around to look at Hermes. The God Messengers was gingerly picked a bronze sword from the floor. Shock and sadness flooded Poseidon when he realized that the sword was Riptide, Percy's personal sword; enchanted to return to his pocket no matter where he is. If that blade was here, then…

"He's not in the Underworld."

Poseidon turned to his older brother, hope and tears in his eyes, "He's not?"

Hades shook his head, "No he isn't. But don't celebrate yet, Poseidon. If he's not on Olympus, and he's not in the Underworld, then where else could he be?"

"A question to be answered at a later time." Zeus interjected. "Right now, we need to focus on repairs, heal the wounded, and honor the fallen. We don't have the energy or the man power to launch a search party after someone who may or may not be alive."

"Are saying that we just abandon my son? The one responsible for saving our world!?"

"Of course not! I'm saying that we do things one at a time. Look around, Poseidon. We just finished fighting a _war._ The damages are severeand the losses heavy. We need to recover our power before using to search for Perseus."

Poseidon still looked downcast, so Hades tried his hand consolation, "Do not worry, brother. Your son is as stubborn as he is powerful. Look at the feats he's accomplished, the trials he's completed, the opponents he's defeated. I'm sure that wherever he is, Percy is completely fine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The gods had repaired their thrones, fixed their floating castle, and healed their bodies. The demigods and all been healed, the dead burned in a mass burning, and rewards doled out to those that were considered worthy. Luke was honored as a hero instead of a traitor. There had been a celebration of course, but it was a subdued one. Not even Dionysus had the joy to party. Zeus didn't have the pride to gloat either.

The Sky God would rather shove his Master Bolt up his anus than say he had grown fond of his nephew.

They may have won, but it was the absence of their leader, Percy Jackson, that made it feel like a pyrrhic victory. Even the Hunters of Artemis felt sadness for the missing boy. He was so much different than other males, so much _purer_.

And now he was gone without a trace.

No one took it harder than Sally Jackson and Poseidon. The poor woman had fallen into a depression that was barely remedied by her husband Paul, and frequent visits by Poseidon. Amphitrite and Triton wisely kept their mouths shut around their husband/father about the 'bastard.'

Amphitrite had said something one time…Poseidon bitch slapped her with his trident.

Zeus followed up on his word and started a worldwide search for the missing Hero of Olympus. Months had passed and no results. The comradery was beginning to fade, too. Most of the gods were getting tired of looking for something that was gone.

Poseidon's hope still existed because Hades was firm in saying that Percy was not in the Underworld.

Because of major complaining from the rest of the council, Zeus had regretfully informed his brother that this would be the last time the Olympians did a group search for the missing Perseus Jackson. If they failed, the demigod would be listed as officially K.I.A. and would be 'buried' and a memorial would be erected in his name.

Poseidon was a mix of furious and distraught. Hades was worried how Nico would react if they didn't find Percy, and his son's one form of happiness was taken away. Hermes wanted to find the one who saved his son. Apollo wanted to find the one who saved his sister. Artemis wanted to find him because she didn't want a diamond in the rough such as him to be lost forever.

In a completely unrelated matter, the Sky God was not happy about what his wife just did with his son, Jason.

"Everyone," Zeus said loudly, "we are gathered here today to begin the final endeavor to find Perseus Jackson. If we succeed, we will be bringing him back with open arms. If we do not," he looked at the displeased form of Poseidon (and Hades, for some reason), "let's hope that does not happen."

The Olympians and Hades and Hestia rose from their thrones, and surrounded the central hearth in the middle of the Throne Room. In a cliché manner, the gods joined hands and powers, their spheres of influence merging, and they covered the world. They became omniscient and omnipotent.

Their divine powers tore across the globe, searching the skies, the seas, the grounds, the fields, the warzones, the factories and workshops, the forests, everything the sunlight and moonlight touched on both sides of the globe. The entire planet was opened up to their minds. And not a sign of Percy anywhere.

PING

What?

PING

A signal…? It was calling to them.

PING

The Olympians homed in on the signal, and instead of seeing the world, there was a blinding light before everything went blank. The spheres of influences that the Olympians held were suddenly unresponsive. The world they were in now was bright white with nothing around.

Then, like the world being created in an _Assassin's Creed_ game, buildings and landscape came into focus. The town the gods were standing in looked to designed after the Medieval Ages. The people were dressed in simple, yet very outdated clothes. The men wore primarily V-neck tunics and short trousers, while the women wore long dresses that were far from formal. In the distance, mountains could be seen rising in the distance.

"Uh, where are we?" Aphrodite asked in a slightly disgusted tone. Those outfits were _so_ hideous.

"We appear to be in an area styled after the Middle Ages. The buildings are made more from stone than brick, and steel in almost nowhere to be found. The clothing is styled the same, and no female today, except for perhaps the Amish, where dresses in that style," Athena surmised.

"Excellent observation. What does this have to with the punk?" Ares grunted.

"Come now, Ares. Surely you felt that pull?"

"Of course I did, Aunt Hestia, but my question still stands."

"Obviously," Hades drawled, "it was the presence of Perseus that drew us here."

Before anyone could say something else, the Olympians were suddenly jerked across the town, through the streets, and into what looked like an expensive inn. They were invisible, because the man at the inn counter didn't notice them what so ever.

Poseidon's instincts flared and he headed up the inn steps, his family following close behind. He reached the second floor and passed through the door like a phantom, as did everyone else.

Looking around the spacious suite, the gods and goddesses took note of the beautiful blonde woman sitting on one bed her eyes closed. In her lap rested a young girl with long brown hair, also with her eyes closed.

On the other bed, but obscured from view due to the angle they were at, the Olympians saw that there was someone else there. Based on the size of the visible lower body, the other person was also young child. Most likely a boy based on the boots.

The woman's eyes suddenly snapped wide open, and Artemis was especially intrigued to note that they were silver.

"Hm. It seems that the Organization has been quite frivolous with what isn't theirs." Eyes snapped to the one that had spoken. It was the child, but because their back was turned, their face was not visible and gender couldn't be determined from just the voice. Not even Artemis, who was constantly surrounded by girls, could decide the gender.

What was able to be determined was that the child was wearing black pants and boots, a black vest with silver colored scroll work all over it, except for across the shoulder blades, a popped collar, and two red stripes on either side of his spine. The child's hair was pulled into a low-hanging ponytail, with the tail being pure black, and everything else being white with small streaks of black. Considering hair-dye wasn't around in the Middle Ages, that was the child's natural hair color. Also considering that if this was the Middle Ages they were somehow looking at, a ponytail was a common hairstyle among boys and men alike.

"What do you mean?" asked the woman.

The child looked over their left shoulder, and Artemis was even more intrigued that they also had a silver eye. "Can you not sense it, Big Sister? The presence of the fourth warrior?" the woman shook her head and the child looked back out the window, "The Organization has implanted the Asarakam into another. We have a new sister…one that aims to kill."

Okay, so the two were apparently siblings, they had some weird sensory thing going on, Organization was a proper noun, Asarakam was evidently really important, and it made the three of them siblings.

"Am I the only one completely confused over what's going on?"

"Shut up, Apollo."

"Make me, sis."

"Both of you be quite before I bend you over my knee."

"Yes, Father."

"There'll be no getting out of this one," the child said. "You don't have to fight, sis. You and Clare can head for the North. Let your Yoki leak out, and tell the first person that confronts you that you were by the Leviathan."

So Clare was probably the girl, what was the significance of the North, what the hell was Yoki, and the child was called 'Leviathan'?

The woman smirked, "And let you have all the fun here? I'm actually looking forward to seeing Irene again, and the prospect of meeting this new sister of ours excites me. Besides, I have no intention of spending any more time with a group of savage monsters than I have to."

Great, more questions! Who was Irene, and what's this about a group of savage monsters?

"Savage monsters?" The child said in false hurt. "I'll have you know that my army has been disciplined to the point that they are not savages, and instead are intelligent killing machines, trained to kill before eating."

"My army?" Ares said. "That brat looks like they ain't even outta diapers yet, and why does he make it sound like his army's a bunch of animals?"

Zeus whirled around, "If you children can't keep your mouths shut, I'll through you into Tartarus. Now be quiet, I want to see where this goes."

Because of the talking, the Olympians missed the final exchange and tuned back in just in time to see the child leap out the window. "Percy!" Poseidon screamed, rushing to where his son just leapt from twenty feet in the air.

The Olympians scrambled over to the windows in a rather undignified way, searching for the child that Poseidon just claimed was his own. They saw nothing down there.

"Are you sure that was Perseus?" Hera asked skeptically.

"Are you telling me that I wouldn't be able to recognize my own offspring, no matter what form they're taking? How could all of you not smell the sea on him anyway?"

"I smelt sea-salt," Hephaestus grumbled, "buried under an ungodly amount of Essence of Corpse."

"There is death surrounding him, Poseidon, and a lot of it," Hades said gravely.

Before anything else could be said, the gods were suddenly zooming across the town, the sights blurring past them until they reached a bridge. On the bridge, a white-cloaked Percy stood behind three women. The women had a powerful aura about them had Artemis highly impressed.

Like the woman in the inn, they all had silver eyes. The one in front looked like an elf with pale skin and straight hair, pointed ears, and an unnatural female height. The next one looked like a tomboy, with her tussled hair, and the last one looked more like a lady. All three of them wore white bodysuits, silver greaves, bracers, pauldrons and skirt. They also wore a cape, and their weapon of choice was a claymore that had Ares green with envy.

 _Fast-forwarding to the part where Priscilla turns to dust because the author wasn't about to rewrite three chapters' worth of reactions_

There were two words that could describe all of the Olympians: unprecedented shock. What they had just witnessed…words could not describe it. The power these 'Awakened Beings' held, the strength of these 'Claymores,' and Percy himself…

Zeus felt truly sorry for what he was about to do, but it was for the greater good.

The King of the Gods severed the connection between themselves and their spheres of influence, and all consciousness returned to the Throne Room. The Gods stood stunned and dizzy for a moment, like that feeling you get after you stand up too fast and then you fall back down.

Poseidon recovered remarkably well, because his trident was about to spear Zeus through the brain, **"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!? TAKE US BACK NOW!"** Thunder shook Manhattan like a ragdoll.

The hearth flared up, fire scorching the ceiling, blasting every god back to their throne besides Hestia. "While Poseidon's reaction may have been extreme, I agree with him. Why did you sever the connection, Zeus?" the Goddess of the Hearth knew the answer, and as much as it saddened her, she agreed with her youngest brother.

Zeus stood tall, regret and resolve present in his electric-blue eyes in equal measure, "Poseidon…that was not your son, nor was that my nephew. That was a monster worse than anything in Tartarus. That was a monster that I could not allow back to our home."

"Bullshit! That was my child! And you just took him away from me!"

"Uncle! Think about what you just saw. Percy Jackson was a kind, caring, loveable, loyal, and heroic young man that had the respect of us and the demigods. That creature we just saw was a ruthless _fiend_ with more power than Typhon, and crueler than Kronos," Artemis argued.

Poseidon's eyes flashed with rage. Somewhere on the ocean a freighter was just capsized. "His power is a result of his biology, and whatever happened to him while he was living in that hell of a world. His rage stemmed from what Priscilla tried to do to Teresa, and he was only vengeful."

"He has become a sadistic and evil being, Barnacle Beard. If we brought him back as he is now, he would only find a perverse and twisted joy in massacring our children. With the new powers he has, the chances of us, even in our true forms, beating him are slim. You must realize Uncle, your son, our cousin, is dead now. The man he once was has been destroyed and replaced by a tyrannical being," Athena said.

"Do not think you are the only one that is devastated, or will be devastated by this event, brother." Hades said solemnly. "The souls of the fallen in Elysium have frequently asked about the status of their friend. Nico had formed a bond with Percy, as did Thalia Grace. I believe he was also close to Athena's daughter, Annabeth. And the campers; how do you think all of them would handle the fact that the goofy boy that they all knew has become a bloodthirsty demon?

"And what about Sally? If she saw what her son has become…she would weep endlessly until the day she passed from this world, not out of horror, but out of self-loathing and pity because she irrationally believes that it was all her fault. She would be inconsolable."

Ares took his turn to speak up, "After that Lightning Bolt fiasco, and he and I dueled on that beach, I began to respect him and the man he was becoming. I was even looking forward to challenging him again to a duel, and making him an honorary Son of War." The War God actually looked sad, "Heh. Looking at him now though…Athena is right, Uncle P. That punk kid of yours has been warped and twisted by his time there. If we brought him back, we wouldn't be able to control him. We would've had to seal that Yoki stuff of his away, and erase his memories. Something that I think, given his new power, would be impossible for us to do."

With each and every argument, the fight in Poseidon began to leave him. As much as he desperately wanted to argue back and defend his beloved child, he couldn't find any ground to stand on. They were all right; Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus was gone. Instead, Perseus of the Wide Smile, Marquis of Murder reigned supreme.

Zeus took note of the defeat in Poseidon's eyes, and decided to put coffin down slowly, "Those in favor…of leaving Perseus Jackson…where he is?" Thirteen hands slowly rose. "Those opposed?"

Poseidon didn't have the strength to lift his arm. His body went slack as he fell back onto his throne, his trident crashing to the ground with a resounding clang. His face lost all feeling.

The Olympians looked down sadly. Even Dionysus felt like complete shit for what they just did, but…it was for the best. They were about to flash to their respective palaces to reflect on the way things just turned out, but Poseidon's hollow chuckle drew everyone's attention.

"I guess Harvey Dent was right. You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." He picked up his trident and vanished in a sea breeze.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Somewhere else_

The Fates smiled at Teresa and Clare, the Twin Goddesses of Love. They were angelic in appearance. They wore bluish-white dresses, had silver eyes, platinum blonde hair that was parted in the middle, paper-straight, and reached their shoulders, and their ears were pointed. Golden wings sprouted from their backs.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation in this matter," the Daughters of Ananke said as one. "It was not our intent for Perseus to be sent to your dimension and we apologize for the inconveniences he caused."

Teresa smiled, "It was no problem at all."

"In fact," Clare said, "he was a rather nice change of pace from what we've been witnessing for the past thousands of years."

"We were actually hoping that after you solve this Giant War problem that you're having, that you could send him back here to us so we can see how this war he's planning pans out." Teresa said.

The Fates mulled it over, "We have no problem with it. With the power he has now, he could pretty much win the war by his lonesome, but whether or not he returns would be ultimately up to him."

"Aww, well that's too bad. I do hope he decides to return. He's such an adorable little boy," Clare and Teresa cooed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside her personal palace, which was sealed off from even Zeus, Hera was venting her divine frustration on her furniture. Dammit! All! To! Hell! All of her hard work was for nothing now. Jason may have been able to get the Greeks to trust the Romans (somewhat), but now she had no one to send to New Rome.

Nico was out because he played ambassador. Thalia was out because she was Jason's sister and Artemis' lieutenant. Annabeth a was definite no-go because she was Athena's daughter, and lacked the raw power needed to deal with Polybotes, Alcyoneus, and Michael Varus's ghost legion. And fucking Perseus had gone full-blown monster on everything, and a definite no-go, especially with her husband's decree of leaving him alone.

Now her baby brother—Rhea bless his soul—had doubly sealed off Olympus. If Hera didn't figure something out soon, her home, her family, and all of humanity would be destroyed. Too bad the one that could save them was too… _powerful_.

Yes, the plan was forming. She would go against Zeus' orders, enlist Poseidon's aid, and bring Percy back. His memories of Camp Half-Blood and of the Greek World in total were almost completely erased. That was good, it made things easier, but taking away his memories of his Yoki, and of Clare and Teresa would be disastrous.

There was the problem of actually getting him to help, but that would also be easy. He would be frantic to return 'home,' so all it would take is honey-covered words and a convincing lie, and boom. Perseus would believe that gaining the Roman's trust and winning the Second Giant War would be the key to getting him to return to his 'Big Sister.' Yes, that might actually work, but in the chance it didn't…she would need a backup plan.

"Do not worry, Hera. Perseus is as crucial as you believe him to be, and we will aid you in your endeavor."

Hera grinned in a relieved way. This was probably how Artemis felt when Percy took the sky off her shoulders. With the Fates themselves helping, things might actually turn out okay in the end.

It was often said that the night was darkest before the dawn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Well, another chapter in two days. Almost no action this chapter, but we have started the Heroes of Olympus storyline, saw how the gods reacted (which I hope was believable), and answered the important question of how Percy got back, and what is going to make him help.**_

 _ **He does have a war to plan, after all. Well, two wars now.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	14. New Rome, New Faces

_New Rome, New Faces_

 _ **All right! Did you all know that**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **now has more reviews and favs than**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **? No? Well now you do.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _June 2010_

Percy stared at the giant wolves, they stared back. The Wide Smile was sitting cross-legged, dressed in this strange combination of blue pants and orange shirt with white and black shoes. Around his neck was a thin, golden chain that had a pendant cut from pearl in the shape of his old symbol from back when he was a Claymore.

A trident piercing a horseshoe.

Lupa didn't know what to make of this pup. She knew he was _supposed_ to be: Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. He defended Mt. Olympus from Kronos during the Second Titan War eight months ago, but disappeared after the battle and was labeled as K.I.A. Then Juno suddenly pops up at the Wolf House with this one cradled in her arms.

Lupa had seen Percy Jackson, as had most deities, and this child looked nothing like him. Jackson was tall, had tanned skin, bright sea-green eyes, the muscular build of a swimmer, wind-sept and messy black hair, and a strong jaw. This child was short, had tan-ish skin, heterochromic eyes of Diana's silver and Neptune's green (Juno confirmed he was not their child), the thin build of a young girl, flat hair with white roots and black tips like albatross wings, and an honestly delicate looking face.

This was the one that defeated Kronos? He looked more like he still needed training pants.

"So are we just going to keep staring at each other, or is something going to happen?"

There was also his smell and his aura. He smelled like a disturbing mix of the sea and dead bodies, along with the feminine scent of women. His aura was beyond anything Lupa had ever felt; Jason was a gnat compared to how much power Percy held within his body. There was a sinister feel about this boy; a feel that Juno failed to elaborate on.

"I'm talking to you. Please respond before I turn you into a fur coat, please."

Lupa knew what Juno's plan was: take the leaders of the two different camps and make an exchange in hopes of unifying the Greeks and Romans. The Mother of Rome had her doubts, but with Terra and her children on the rise, a unified front was what the mythological world needed right now. Lupa just didn't see how the boy in front of her was going to gain the trust of the Romans; he didn't feel like unification, he felt like chaos and destruction. It made the She-Wolf worry for her children.

"All right then. Never killed a pack of wolves before, other than for a snack, especially not ones this big, but there's a first time for everything."

A wolf growled and leapt forward, but Lupa didn't stop him. The pup needed to be tested, after all. Not one pup ever died during the first test because it wasn't supposed to be lethal. It was to test to see if the child in question was a true Child of Rome. Would they fight back, dodge, or piss themselves?

Percy did something that Lupa had never seen in three thousand years: his hand shot up and intercepted the wolf by the throat. The She-Wolf's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, the boy snapped the wolf's neck like a twig.

"One down. Now, uh, 19 more to go."

The pack growled, going from neutral to hostile. _'Enough!'_ Lupa roared telepathically. The wolves bowed with their heads low, and their tails between their legs, whimpering silently. Percy dug a finger into his ear, wiggled it around, before pulling it out and flicking off what was on it. "Was I the only one that heard a female voice in my head?"

Lupa looked at the boy with a mix of anger and caution, _'That was my voice, and I'm speaking to you through your mind. You are at the Wolf House, the place where demigods like you begin their journey to New Rome. I am Lupa, Goddess of Rome.'_

Percy stared at her dully, "One: Wolf House, seriously? Couldn't pick a better name for this run down dump? Two: I'm not a 'demigod.' Three: _New_ Rome? I haven't ever heard of Old Rome. And four: bullshit on you being a goddess. Deities like that don't exist." He said darkly.

Lupa's silver eyes widened briefly, before she used her divine powers to forcefully download every myth, legend, name, and location into the boy's head. Percy stumbled before falling to his knees, clutching his head.

"It's not possible. It can't be true; it can't be…" he whispered to himself. It was times like this when Lupa was at her most sympathetic. She could understand the pain and shock that came with having your entire world knowledge shattered by the revelation that gods existed and you were the child of one of them. That didn't mean she was about to pull him into a hug and let him cry into fur.

' _Stand up and be strong. You are not the first to be told this, nor will you be the last. I do not have time to waste on letting you adjust to your new world.'_ Percy looked at Lupa, and she swore she saw his heterochromic eyes flash gold. Then she was flying across her House.

Looking up from the new crater she was in, she was alarmed to see her pack swarming the Pluto out of Percy, and losing. He was punching, kicking, and throwing around wolves the size of horses like ragdolls. Lupa noticed that they weren't being killed, but the same couldn't be said about bones. The Wolf Goddess noticed with some shock and a little bit of fear that Percy was pulling his punches; he wasn't aiming to kill. In fact, he was slowly wading his way over to her.

Lupa raised her head and howled. Her pack immediately backed away from the boy, their hackles raised and their lips pulled back. They began to fade away like mirages, until it was only her and the boy left in the Wolf House.

"It is clear to me that my pack is not strong enough to accurately test you, and you are no ordinary demigod," Lupa said. "I will fight you myself." The goddess' body began to glow with power, blinding Percy's eyes, but not his senses. He sensed a surge in awesome power…but nowhere near enough to get concerned over.

When the glow faded, Lupa looked she would make a good child-bearer for Rigaldo. She had become a female humanoid, eight feet tall, body covered in a thin layer of white fur, with thicker fur covering her crotch and breasts, and a mane surrounding her shoulders, upper back and head. Her mouth and nose had remained a wolfish snout. A tail sprouted from her backside. Her build was thin, yet muscular, like a woman that actively worked out. Her eyes remained silver, but her pupil was now slit.

"I need to introduce you to Rigaldo, you two would instantly hit it off."

Percy activated his original arm blades. His middle finger extended, his other fingers curled inwards and became claws. His elbow deteriorated until it was connected to his arm by two thin strands, and extended backwards. His entire limb turned midnight black, and almost shined in the light of the noonday sun.

Lupa's eyes widened, **"What are you?"**

Percy's grin made his eyes close, "Beyond human."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, the Wolf House was no longer standing, and much of the surrounding forest had been chopped down. Lupa was on a knee, clutching the stump of her left elbow. Golden blood dripped onto the dirt below.

"So gods are real?"

"Yes."

"I'm the son… _Neptune,_ was it?"

"Neptune."

"And if I want answers to why the fuck I'm here, I have to find 'New Rome'?"

"Yes."

"Which is somewhere south of here?"

"South."

"And you can't tell me because that would defeat the entire purpose of survival?"

"Yes."

"And when I find this place, I have to talk to the… _praetor_ , which is a girl by the name of Reyna?"

"Reyna."

"But I have to play nice and act like a good little doe-eyed innocent, and not completely destroy the system?"

"No destroy please."

"You see there's just one crucial detail that is missing."

"Detail?"

"The part where I give a fuck!"

Percy vanished in a burst of speed, cracking the ground where he once stood. Lupa fell to her back; that was not a child, that was not a demigod, that was not a _human_. The bright side was that the Giant War was more or less won now. The downside was that if her children in New Rome couldn't think before speaking…well, at least they wouldn't have to deal with the horrors of Terra's monsters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Days later_

Percy had never experienced boredom like this before. He hightailed it down south—he had a war to win in a few weeks after all—following that homing sense thing Lupa talked about. The sights were nothing he hadn't seen before, lots of trees, forests, and mountains. Although, the sprawling cities of hundreds of thousands and those ultra-tall buildings were a new sight, as well those car things.

During his extended stay here, Perseus found himself remembering and recalling things that he should've had no knowledge of. For example, cars, phones, internet, streets, roads, highways, skyscrapers, and laws. It raised more questions, and when he got to New Rome, he was not dealing with bullshit.

In other news, this place had some weird creatures. In the few days he had been here, he had discovered that he could control water; Percy used that new power to dice up a sea monster that was stupid enough to think he was lunch. Two other monsters, the weirdest looking things the Wide Smile had ever seen, even among Awakened Beings, were making repeat attempts on his life.

They called themselves Stheno and Euryale and were the 'lesser known sisters of the gorgon Medusa.' Whatever the hell that meant. All Percy knew was that they had snakes for hair, chicken feat, and a lizard body. They also didn't die. That was _so cool_ , fighting against an opponent that didn't die, the down side was that these idiots didn't even qualify as the dirt Perseus walked on.

The Wide Smile had gotten curious and decided to see what the pendant around his neck was for. When he tugged on his pearl symbol, imagine his surprise when his old claymore—which the author forgot to write about after chapter one—sprang to life in his hand. Yeah, he used that bitch to turn the Gorgon Sisters into tiny pieces on a regular basis. He found that his claymore returned to necklace form when he put it close to neck again.

He tried eating them once, which really surprised the chicken people, but they tasted horrible. It also didn't help that a fatal bite made the meat he was chewing turn to dust in his mouth, or meat he had ingested turn to dust in his stomach. He tried absorbing their strange energy with his Yoki Absorption power, but they were fried about .45 seconds after he touched them. They also had no durability; a tentacle through the stomach was enough to kill them instantly. A below average Yoma was tougher than that. Damn, this world was weak.

That brings us to the present.

Perseus had followed his new internal radar, and had arrived at the edge of a cliff. Below him was a bunch of houses, a highway with heavy traffic, and a tunnel above the highway built into the hill with two kids standing guard. The Wide Smile's enhanced vision saw that they were boy and girl, dressed in purple shirts, blue jeans, gold armor here and there, were armed with spears and shields, the boy with arrows and bow, the girl with a sword. They both radiated an energy not unlike that of those silver girls back in Pieta.

The boy's aura was subdued, but there was an undertone of violence and little bit of the sea. The girl's aura felt like the ground and expensive rocks; she also felt old. The strangest thing about the girl, was that her skin was _brown_ , and not in a tan way. Perseus had never seen anybody with brown skin before, he wondered how she got it.

It was clear though that these two were New Roman demigods and were guarding their camp, which was probably on the other side of those hills. Perseus could sense a lot of energy over there.

Engaging a paramilitary force such as this New Rome and demanding answers from them in the form of a young child would probably not have the desired effect of cooperation, but waltzing in as an adult would raise more red flags.

The Leviathan's body rippled and changed. His face grew more angular and masculine, his body got taller and wider, his hair got shorter, no longer covering face or in a low ponytail, and his muscles filled out, giving him the physique of a swimmer. He now stood at 5'7 and looked about sixteen, maybe seventeen, meaning his usual child-like personality would have to be done away with for now. His clothes had unfortunately gotten tighter as well. His shirt strained against his torso and his jeans squeezed in all the wrong places.

Luckily there was an entire housing district beneath him, and there was bound to be some laundry hanging around somewhere.

"Ssssssssss…"

Perseus didn't even acknowledge the presences of the Gorgons behind him. He could smell their stench, hear their snakes, taste the sweat that covered them, and sense the disgusting aura that surrounded them like a plague. Why they kept coming after him was beyond the understanding of the Abyssal Lord. They were destroyed every time, only to reform and repeat. The only logical explanation Perseus could come up with was that they were being ordered by someone more powerful than they. It was annoying.

Perseus raised his hand up and his fingers lashed out like whips. They didn't strike vital areas, instead they sliced through debilitating areas. Muscles and tendons were severed instantly. Over time, the Leviathan had quickly learned that the Gorgon's power was limited to revitalization, not regeneration.

Maim, not murder, and they came back a little later.

Without a second thought, Perseus leapt off the side of the hill and sailed through the air. He landed with a nary a twitch of his knees. Looking around, he was glad to see that there were indeed clothes hanging about clothes lines. However, there were none that he saw, at the moment, that caught his eye. The day was young though, and there were many houses to raid.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _About 30 minutes later_

Perseus just ended up breaking into a house. The family of three was startled to have a 'teenager' suddenly burst in through their back door in the middle of lunch, but their surprise was extremely short lived…as was the rest of their existence.

Luckily, the son had some clothes that actually fit, and Perseus fancied.

The Leviathan emerged from the house wearing black jeans, black Nikes, no shirt and a black bubble vest that had white stitching in between the bubbles. The vest was zipped up to his sternum, and the collar was popped. Honestly, it looked like the modern version of what he wore back home.

"Did you have to kill them?"

Perseus whirled around to look at the…hippie bag-lady. She wore a dress made of tie-dyed cloth, ripped up quilts, and plastic grocery bags. Her frizzy mop of hair was gray-brown, like root-beer foam, tied back with a peace-sign headband. Warts and moles covered her face. When she smiled, she showed exactly three teeth.

Instead of answering, the Abyssal Lord asked his own question, "You are a goddess, aren't you Bag-lady?"

The smile dropped from Juno's face at having been found out so quickly. Things could get hairy here; this was not the same child that feared the wrath of a god. "I am Juno, Goddess of Marriage, Patron of Women, Queen of Olympus…and the one who brought you here."

The Leviathan narrowed his eyes, and the air hummed with danger, "Why did you bring me here?"

Instead of verbally answering, Juno did what Lupa did a few days ago. She mentally downloaded the information into Perseus' brain. The Leviathan growled slightly and closed his eyes at the sensation. When the download ended, Juno was lifted in the air by her root-beer head.

Percy's eyes were golden and slitted, his mouth a maw of fangs, **"You dare? You dare!? You drag me away from those whom I consider my family, just to fight your own battles for you? Who am I to you people? What significance does my life serve to you!?"** The son of Poseidon was _not_ happy. Storm clouds were beginning to gather overhead, and the sea was beginning to stir off to the side.

Juno ignored the pain originating from her scalp, "We need your help Perseus. Your divine family needs your help. You are a very important figure in the mythological world, and my nephew. If I didn't believe you were the most important part of this future I would've left you as you were." The Leviathan snarled in her face, his teeth inches away from biting off her cheek. Juno went to plan B, "An accord, then."

Perseus' head rolled before he dropped the goddess, "Speak."

Juno shakily stood to her feet, "I can return to you your memories of your time here, and send you back to Teresa and Clare, but only if you promise to help us in this war."

"And how long will this war of yours take?"

Juno instantly picked up on what he was really asking, "Do not worry about your war. You've been gone from this world for over one hundred years, but only a few months have passed here."

Perseus made a clicking sound as he sucked in air. "What guarantee do I have…that you will _honor_ …this agreement?" he said slowly. "I swear upon the River Styx to do as I said if you do as I ask." Thunder boomed and golden eyes widened upon the sealing of the oath.

His returning memories told him that an oath upon the Styx was unbreakable, even for a divine being. For her to be so genuine about this…but, wait. "No deal."

Juno gasped, "W-why not?"

"The oath you swore, 'do as I said if you do as I ask.' That last part is far too ambiguous. The stipulation of the return of my memories as long as I do as you ask could mean anything for any amount of time. So narrow down your oath…or _no deal_ ," the Abyssal Lord snarled.

Juno paled and amended her oath, "I swear on the River Styx to return your memories, and to return you back, if you fight this war for us." Thunder boomed once again, sealing the oath.

The Purple Butcher ran the oath over again and again in his head, searching for loopholes that could be exploited by either side. If what Juno said about the time difference was true, then missing his own war should be impossible as long as this Giant-nonsense didn't last for a century.

"Deal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Why Juno wanted him to carry her fat ass across traffic and up a hill was beyond him, but if it got this war rolling and his memories returning, then fuck it. She didn't weigh that much compared to his strength anyway.

Perseus carried Juno piggyback—actually he jumped—across the highway, then up the hill, landing and startling the two demigods at the entrance to this camp. The boy knocked an arrow and the girl readied her spear…but not at him.

The Gorgon bitches had healed and had wings coming from their backs. Reminded Perseus of the flying-Yoma breed from back in the day. Annoying little things, thinking their extra appendages actually meant something to the Number 1 Claymore.

The boy let the arrow fly, dinging Euryale in the head, sending her tumbling into traffic, only for her to pull it out and climb on top of a car, before taking off again.

"Nice shot, kid."

"That should've killed her!" the archer protested.

Perseus snorted, "No. dismembering her and burning what's left should've killed her, but here they both stand." They both looked at him strangely, but the girl shook her head. "Frank, get them inside, quick! Those are gorgons."

"Gorgons?" Frank squeaked. He was already losing points in Percy's book; both of them were. He expected more from god-children. "Will the door hold them?"

Juno cackled from Percy's back. "No, no it won't. Onward, Percy Jackson! Through the tunnel, over the river!"

"If you don't shut up, I'm dropping you."

"Percy Jackson? Okay you're obviously a demigod. But who's the—?" the dark-skinned girl glanced at June. "Never mind. Just get inside. I'll hold them off."

"Hazel," Frank said. "Don't be crazy." Aw, they cared for each other.

"Go!" Hazel demanded.

Frank cursed in a language Percy had never heard, and opened the door to the tunnel. "Come on!"

Percy shrugged and followed, curious as to what he would find at the end. Juno was trying to get heavier, but to his strength, it was like a leaf becoming a stone. Barely noticeable. Perseus didn't care much for the tunnel, but he was interested when modern technology gave was to mosaic tiles and smokeless torches.

A light could be seen far in the distance, and the Leviathan was getting very interested by all of the power he was sensing in front of him. And the smell—oh, it was _intoxicating_. Percy didn't care to try and eat Juno (he was mad at her), and for some reason Hazel and Frank didn't cross his mind as a meal, but these others? The Wide Smile felt like he was about to be introduced to a buffet.

He felt a spike in Hazel's aura, and the Gorgons were crushed by the collapsing tunnel. That explained why Hazel's aura felt like earth: she could control it.

"Keep moving," Frank said. "We're almost there."

Percy decided to play dumb, "Almost where?"

June chuckled, either playing along or not catching his drift, "All roads lead there, child. You should know that."

"Hell?" Percy asked. Frank made a chocking sound, like laughter and breathing mixing together.

"Rome, child, Rome."

Perseus rolled his eyes as he easily kept up with Frank in this tunnel with an extra five-hundred pounds of humanoid shamu on his back. They glow at the end of the tunnel got brighter, before they burst into sunlight. The Leviathan would take in the sights later; here came Hazel.

"I slowed them down, but they'll be here any second," the girl was covered in dust.

Frank dropped the f-bomb, "We have to get across the river."

Juno squeezed Percy's neck, but let go when he stared at her over his shoulder, "I can't get my dress wet."

"Does it look like I care about your dress?"

The trio ran down the hill towards the river, and Perseus could sense the approaching Gorgons. The three didn't hesitate to barrel through the raging water. Perseus felt empowered; probably had to do with this 'son-of-Neptune' shit. Water equaled power boost, apparently.

Horns blew from the watchtowers of the fort in front of him, and sentries swiveled their crossbows toward the bitches.

Percy, Frank, and Hazel reached the other side, and the Abyssal Lord sensed a little over a hundred energy signatures moving, before the fort gates were opened and they all came streaming out. Juno was promptly dropped like the deadweight she was.

No wonder the gods of Olympus needed his help. Their army was a bunch of fucking teenagers.

Hazel turned to look at Percy with a smile, but her expression turned to horror when she saw the approaching Gorgons, easily evading the sentry's arrows. "Look out!"

Perseus smirked. Those birds really didn't learn did they? They were aiming right at him, their claws primed to grab his arms and lift him away. How cute.

His own arms shot out, pushing Frank and Hazel out of the way. Juno was laying on the ground, so she would be fine. The army behind him screamed to get out of the way, but now was the time for a display of power.

The Lord of the Abyss waited until the gorgons were inches away from his flesh, before he blurred around and grabbed the sisters by their throats and heaving them in the air. They gagged as their air passageways were blocked. They flailed in his grasp, clawing at his arms. Their fingers scraped harmlessly against his Yoki-enforced epidermis.

He applied pressure at a steady pace, but the amount of force he was putting into it was enough to make the Gorgons go rigid with terrified expressions on their faces…before a snapping sound echoed across the stunned onlookers.

Perseus through the corpses into the waters of the river, where their dust forms were churned up and washed away.

Juno stood, "Well that was a lovely trip. Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

Someone choked on the air she was breathing, "Percy…Jackson?"

The Leviathan looked at the one that had spoken, and gasps echoed due to his heterochromia. She was the leader here, with her purple cloak over her medal-decorated chest plate. She looked his 'age,' with dark eyes and hair. She looked at him as if he haunted her nightmares. Good, it would make conversation much easier with Reyna if he held leverage over her in the form of fear.

June laughed nervously, already picking up Percy's intent with the praetor, "You two will get along nicely."

The goddess glowed and took her seven-foot-tall, Olympian look. The teens all knelt in the presence of the goddess. Hazel whispered Juno's name, and she and Frank fell to their knees, leaving Percy standing by himself. Fuck kneeling to this bitch.

"Romans, I present you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortuna comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!"

As she started to shimmer, Perseus turned his to look at her. His vest collar blocked the lower half of his face. "Remember our deal, Juno. My memories and return home in exchange for your war victory. Break our agreement, and I'll break you," he said low enough for only the goddess to hear.

Juno nodded and disappeared.

Perseus looked at Hazel and Frank for an explanation on why they had a feast dedicated to a fish, but paused when he noticed that Frank had a couple of clay jars that weren't there before. The burly demigod put them in his pocket before giving the Wide Smile that said: I'll tell you later.

Reyna decided to step up to him, but Perseus kept his eyes locked on Frank. "So," she said like she was interrogating a prisoner, "a son of Neptune who comes to us with the blessing of Juno."

A silver eye was boring into Reyna's black one. The daughter of Bellona saw gigantic humanoid monstrosities tear apart women and children like paper, before throwing them into their salivating maws like chips.

"Watch how you speak to me, girl. You may be the most powerful in this piss-poor excuse for a military camp, but you are nothing compared to me. Address me with the same amount of respect you would one of your gods, or I'll bend you over and fuck your ass hard enough that you'll be throwing up feces. Now, let's move this conversation somewhere private, people are beginning to stare," the Abyssal Lord said at a volume only she could hear.

Reyna was glad she had already been to the bathroom, or she would've needed a new pair of panties and a good explanation as to why she smelled like the stables. Steeling her nerves, the praetor of the Twelfth Legion commanded, "Hazel, bring him inside. I want to question him at the principia. Then we'll take him to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we move on from there."

Perseus put on his disarmingly juvenile smile that still worked in his older form. He would allow Reyna to be commanding in public, but in private was a whole other can of intestines. He was a new face here; the only thing to his name was that he killed monsters with his bare hands by snapping their necks, was a son of Neptune, and had the blessing of Juno. Other than that, he was the newbie, the greenhorn, the shiny new toy. Openly disobeying Reyna would not make it easy to win trust and allegiance, it would do the opposite. But once they reached this 'principia' place, he would lay down the new law of New Rome.

Perhaps it was a mistake to choose this teenage form. The instinct telling him to mate with a powerful female was almost like a gong in his head. The threat to fuck Reyna's ass was only half threat, half promise.

If he and her were alone in the principia…well, this story is M-rated for a reason.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **A new chapter just a day later, I think that's a new record for me. Percy's cementing his power here, and Reyna will probably no longer be a virgin next chapter. Debating on whether or not to try my hand at lemons, but please do not beg me for it.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, because I feel that a solid month of working on a single story is good enough for a while, this story will be put on the shelf while I crank out some more**_ _ **Backup Plan.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review Please!**_


	15. Laying Down the Law

_Laying Down the Law_

 _ **Alright, so I decided to work on this until it's up to 19 chapters like its sisters. Picking up from last chapter, the Leviathan will be hosting an audience with one Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. After careful consideration, I have decided NOT to write a lemon for this chapter, but there will be hints of one.**_

 _ **Welcome back to Leviathan, ladies and gents!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus allowed Reyna to lead him to the principia. The Leviathan walked in a way that oozed power and authority, with his hands clasped behind his straight back, his chin up, and his heterochromic eyes forward. Hazel and Frank walked on either side of him, Reyna in front, and most of the legion following dutifully behind.

Perseus noticed how the people scrambled out of the way of the procession, not in fear, but respect. He also noticed a bunch of see-through people that glowed with a faint, purple outline. They seemed either terrified or angry at his presence, because they would either look at him, gasp, and vanish, or look at him, gasp, and say "Graecus!" before vanishing.

Perseus leaned over to Hazel, the dark-skinned girl probably three inches shorter than him, "Why do the see-through people keep calling me Graecus?"

Hazel looked at him with eyes that seemed to be made of gold. "Those see-through people are called Lares. House gods."

"House gods? Do you people have gods for every concept in the dictionary?"

Hazel hummed and placed her hand on her chin. "I don't think we have a god for periods, but I could be wrong," she said slowly.

"Lares are more like mascots that actual gods," Frank said. He had taken his helmet off, revealing an exceedingly disproportionate face to his burly, powerful build. "They're usually harmless, but I've never seen them so agitated before."

"They don't seem to like me much, and they can't seem to get my name right. What does Graecus mean, anyway?"

"Graecus means Greek," Hazel said. "Once you've been here awhile, you'll start to understand Latin. Demigods have a natural sense for it."

Perseus had no intention of being here long enough to start understanding Latin. He intended to get these people to like him, follow him, and not question him if he told them to jump off a bridge. Then again, his deal with Juno was limited to the conditions of winning the Giant War in exchange for his memories, nowhere in the fine print did it say become friends with brats.

"Is it bad to be called Greek while in the company of Romans?" If those damn ghosts made this any harder than it had to be, Perseus would find a way to send them to the afterlife…permanently.

Frank coughed, "Maybe not. You've got that sort of complexion, that dark and all, but those white tips are awesome, man. Maybe they think you're Greek? Is your family from there?"

"Not a clue. My earliest memories are from when I was eight, and parents were the furthest thing from my mind."

"Or maybe…" Frank hesitated.

"This not the place for dramatic pauses. Please, speak."

"Probably nothing," Frank said. "Romans and Greeks have an old rivalry. Sometimes Romans use Graecus as an insult for someone who's an outsider—an enemy. I wouldn't worry about it."

Oh, the Leviathan wasn't worried about it. If these brats wanted to get cute and attack him…well, it'd be a good excuse to sample the food.

The entourage stopped at the center of camp, where two wide stone-paved roads met at a T. A street sign labeled the road to the main gates as via praetoria. The other road, cutting across the middle of the camp, was labeled via principalis. Under those markers were hand-painted sign like Berkeley 5 miles; NEW ROME 1 MILE; OLD ROME 7280 MILES; HADES 2310 MILES (pointing down); RENO 208 MILES, and CERTAIN DEATH: YOU ARE HERE!

Perseus looked left, then he looked right. For certain death, this placed looked remarkably lively. Perhaps it was some sort of joke? The thing that stood out the most was the two-story wedge of white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank. Roman guards stood out front. Over the doorway hung a big purple banner with the gold letter SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.

"Nice place. HQ, I'm assuming?" Percy asked. This place was at least better then Staff.

Reyna faced him with cold eyes, but a warning look made the girl shiver and clench her butt cheeks together. She and Jason had never done anal, but she for damn sure didn't want to be taken in a way hard enough to cause some type internal damage. "It's called the principia," she said neutrally, successfully keeping the stutter out of it.

She turned her gaze back to the curious campers that had followed from the river. "Everyone back to your duties. I'll give you an update at evening muster. Remember, we have war games after dinner."

Dinner made Perseus think of all the people surrounding him. He could go months, even over a year if he pushed himself, without eating, but the delicious smell of demigods would test his control in an unprecedented way.

The crowd dispersed, muttering comments about the Abyssal Lord's chances.

"He's dead."

"Would be those two who found him."

"Yeah. Let him join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and geeks."

The Leviathan internally cackled. Ah, the idiocy of the youth. But, their snippets of badmouthing had revealed something to the Wide Smile. Hazel and Frank seemed to be disliked among the people, as well as this 'Fifth Cohort.' That meant opportunity. If Perseus could get the Cohort to rise to the top, with Frank and Hazel as his allies, it would get the attention of the rest of the Cohorts. In theory, it would help to tremendously boost his popular status.

Ahhh, politics.

"Hazel," Reyna said. "Come with us. I want your report on what happened at the gates."

"Me too," Frank said. "Percy saved my life. We've got to let him—"

Reyna gave him such a harsh look, he stepped back. Perseus felt something stir inside of him. While no one here had any amount of power worth a shit, the strength that the praetor held over her subordinates was impressive. She was also aesthetically pleasing as well.

"I'd remind you, Frank Zhang," she said, "you are on probatio yourself. You've caused enough trouble this week."

Frank's ears turned red in embarrassment. He fiddled with a little tablet on a cord around his neck. Percy hadn't paid much attention to it, but it looked like a name tag made out of lead.

"Go to the armory," Reyna told him. "Check our inventory. I'll call you if I need you."

"But—" Frank caught himself. "Yes, Reyna." He hurried off.

Reyna waved Perseus and Hazel towards the headquarters. "Now, Perseus Jackson, let's see if we can improve your memory."

The principia was even more impressive inside. The description of the room can easily be found either in the book, the wiki-page, or online, because the author did not feel like copying or paraphrasing a several paragraphs long description of something that will not written about ever again.

Reyna sat in a high-backed chair at the end of a large table, the other chair empty, with two silver and gold greyhounds next to the chair.

"First things first…" Perseus started to say, but the dogs came to life with bared teeth and ruby eyes. Now, in another universe, the son of Neptune would've been intimidated by the statues, and Reyna would've had to diffuse the situation, but this was not another universe. This was a universe in which the protagonist didn't take that kind of bullshit from anything.

The Leviathan's eyes flashed and his Yoki permeated the air. The dogs whimpered and hid behind the chairs, the air grew heavy and the girls found it difficult to breath. The walls, floor, and ceiling trembled slightly. And then it all stopped.

Perseus smiled in apology. "Sorry about that, but I don't take kindly to be interrupted by animals. As I was saying, first things first," his smile dropped and he looked at Hazel with soul-piercing eyes, "leave us." His voice brokered to argument, and thoughts of rebuke were foreign to Hazel's mind as she squeaked out a 'yes-sir' and quickly fled for the door.

"Now then," Perseus turned back to Reyna, pinning her in place with a stare devoid of emotion. "You have knowledge of my shadowed past, and you will reveal to me what you know, or else I will find a way to make you talk," he said darkly, his voice a deep baritone that came from the back of his throat.

It sent shivers up Reyna's spine.

"A-a few years ago," her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again, "A few years ago, my sister and I worked at a place called C.C.'s Spa and Resort as handmaidens to the sorceress, Circe. You, and another girl, came to us by accident. Circe allowed us to treat the girl, but she wasn't fond of males. I don't know the specifics, but she did something to you, and took revenge by unleashing an entire crew of pirates among the Resort. My sister and I were forced to flee for our lives, but we were captured by the pirates."

"Watch your tone," Perseus said warningly as Reyna's voice became accusatory. The Leviathan closed his eyes as bits and pieces of memory became clear. Annabeth, guinea pigs, Blackbeard, a… _satyr_ by the name of Grover, and a…golden sheepskin? What the hell was up with that? "Is that all that you know of me, or is there more? Lying is not in your best interest."

Reyna gulped at the obvious threat. This _man_ in front of her was leagues ahead of everybody in terms of power, not even Jason had the kind of aura that Perseus possessed. "No, that is all that I know."

"I see. Very well then, now that we have that out of the way, we can talk business. I am not here to be a part of your legion. I am not here to become a probatio. And I for _damn_ sure am not here to be your underling. I am here, because the gods asked impolitely, and I didn't get the chance to refuse their offer. I am here, because there is an army marching to destroy this… _camp_ , and Juno couldn't have that for whatever reason. So throw any notion of me obeying any of your rules out the fucking window right now.

"I am here to get the people to trust me, and become their icon and/or leader. Now, from what I see, the best way to achieve that goal will be to sit in that chair right next to you. I don't care who's sat in it, or who's sitting in it and where they are, because that thing will be mine, and I will be the next praetor, come hell or high water. And there is nothing that you can do or say that will stop me," Perseus finished his commanding monologue about five inches from Reyna's face.

The dogs had scurried off to a corner, silently whimpering at the presence of the apex predator. Reyna, well, Reyna was more aroused that Jason had ever made her. Like regular human females, demigoddesses had sex drives and were highly interested in the opposite sex…mostly. Like their average counterparts, demigoddesses were attracted to a well-built, handsome, and likeable male, but their attraction went deeper than aesthetics.

Demigoddesses, on a deep, primal level derived from their divine blood…were attracted to _power_.

It was buried deep in their subconscious, and was only brought out when they were in the presence of a man that was truly powerful—that's was Jupiter had so many children—and Perseus gave off an aura of tangible strength. His voice, deep and rich like warm chocolate; his eyes, the color of liquid mercury and the sea, shined with the light of high status; his body, toned and defined to the point that every muscle rippled with power; and his presence was like standing next to mountains. Reyna had never felt so small in her life.

Perseus leaned closer, lighting her skin on fire. "I am not unreasonable, nor do I wish to be hostile," he said lowly in her ear, causing the girl to bite her lip and grip her chair hard enough to turn her knuckles white. "I hold loyalty in a high regard, _Reyna_. If you assist me during this endeavor, I can reward you with _many_ things. Riches, weapons… _pleasures_." He brushed his lips across Reyna's own, and that was the final straw.

The praetors, always a male and a female, were expected to work _closely_ together. And, because the position was always held by teenagers, it was no small secret that the two satisfied the other's _needs_. Reyna had been without Jason for months now, and had held out on masturbating in the high-hopes that her wayward boyfriend would be found. Over that time, her sexual tension had built up like pressure in a shaken up soda can…and it was the overwhelming aura of the Leviathan that ripped it open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _30 minutes later_

Perseus sat in the praetor's chair with all the presence of a god. Only his shoes and pants adorned his body, with his hands gripping the arms and his legs spread wide. Sitting in his lap, with legs over the side, her arms around the First Number One's neck, and her head resting on his chest was Reyna, a satisfied smile on her face. She was clad only in her toga, her other clothes and armor thrown to the side with Percy's vest.

The air was heavy with the musk of intercourse.

"That was amazing," Reyna said sleepily. Her body ached in a way that had never happened when Jason was on top. The amount of stamina Perseus had was unbelievable, and the technique he possessed was nothing short of orgasmic. Literally.

A deep rumble escaped the Leviathan's chest. "I know what your body is like, but what of your _soul_? Tell me about you, Reyna."

The girl felt no reluctance in telling the man who made her feel like a woman her life's story. Her time in San Juan, her abusive father, how she killed him, how she and her sister found their way to Circe's island, how they lived happily for a time before they were captured by the pirates. She told the Abyssal Lord of how she and Hylla learned how to fight quickly, due to their mother being the war goddess Bellona, and how she and her sister went different ways, one becoming a Roman, the other an Amazon.

After the story, several minutes had passed, and the Leviathan could sense that those outside were becoming suspicious and anxious about the goings on inside.

Perseus stood up, Reyna held tight in his powerful arms, and gently set her down on the marble floor. The young woman looked at him with questioning eyes, but the Leviathan gestured to the door, and she realized what he was talking about. With a sigh, the daughter of Bellona took off her toga, exposing her body, and began to redress herself with a bit of an added flare for her audience.

Perseus stopped her, though, when she was about to put on her purple bikini panties with the golden SPQR inside of a laurel wreath embroidered on the front. "I think I want to keep these," he said slyly, and Reyna only smirked.

Perseus pocketed the sweet-smelling underwear with a wide grin.

Reyna continued to redress herself, swaying her hips, wiggling her butt, and bending over in a suggestive way. Despite her seductive methods, she was fully dressed once more in less than five minutes. Well, almost fully dressed. The Leviathan, with some difficulty, resisted the urge to extend his fingers right where she wanted them to go.

Perseus had donned his vest once more, and stood with his arms behind his back, "I'm sorry for the abrupt ending to our activities, but I'm afraid that our Delay is causing a ruckus outside."

"No, it's alright," Reyna said. "Hazel should be waiting outside the door. Tell her you need to go to Octavian, and she'll take you there." Perseus nodded, before walking to the door, intent on bringing whoever the Octavian-person was under his heel like he did Reyna, only for the girl to call out to him. The Lord of the Abyss smirked at the apprehension in her voice.

"Percy…what…what does this make us?"

The Marquis of Murder turned around to face the praetor with a sincere face. "We are allies in a war against an overwhelming army. We are friends standing against a tide of snakes. And we are one in the flesh," he said in the voice that manipulated Eve. "I can see the disappointment in your face, Reyna. Ahhh, it is my fault. My mentality is one appropriate for war, and I'm afraid that pursuing a relationship would lead to a mistake that cost us thousands."

Reyna nodded, her eyes downcast.

"Don't worry. Not all is lost. After we've defeated the Giants, then you and I can get to know each other on a more personal level."

A sad smirk adorned Reyna's face, but she would take what she could get. She watched the powerful demigod leave, eyeing his rear with a gleam only a female could manage. That had the most amazing experience she had ever felt. Jason had an impressive stamina as well, being a son of Jupiter had certain benefits, but he didn't have near as much as the son of Neptune. And the power behind his thrusts…Reyna didn't throw up her crap, but gods did it feel amazing.

On a deep, subconscious level, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano had become addicted to the being that is the Leviathan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus internally roared in triumph. It was a stroke of fortune that the praetor was a phallus-starved female, it made things far easier than what he had anticipated. Now Reyna was in his pocket, both figuratively and literally. Figuratively because now the girl had developed a puppy-like attraction to him, and would try very hard not to beg him for more; literally, because he now had her panties.

There was a deeper reason for keeping those than a little perversion. 1) they smelled even better than what Sistina did all those years ago, and 2) they were blackmail if things went South. What better way to ruin a powerful female's reputation than by planting her cum-ridden panties in a very compromising location. Especially considering that said powerful female was supposed to have a consort.

One may not have noticed, but the Abyssal Lord had intentionally not told Reyna _anything_ regarding his own past, and the seeds of curiosity had been planted and watered appropriately. Reyna would be near-desperate to learn about him, and that gave the Leviathan power over. Power he would generously put to use.

He did not satisfy Reyna because he wanted to experience sexual intercourse, he did it to get her to follow him and get her loyalty. Heh, mission accomplished. Now it would go against her instincts to disobey him, and cause internal conflict when thoughts of going against his orders arose within her mind.

Yes. Reyna was now his, and this Octavian person was next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus found Hazel sitting against the wall of the principia, apparently napping, but her body language and twitching eyelids said she was having a nightmare. So he did the nice thing and woke her up. By pinching her boob.

Hazel jerked awake, and was standing with her sword out in one fluid motion.

The Wide Smile had leapt back the moment the synapses in Hazel's brain fired, so his look of surprise at the sudden movement was entirely believable. "Um…if you're done trying to introduce me to my great-grandparents, Reyna wants you to take me to this Octavian kid I keep hearing so much about."

Hazel blinked, before sheathing her sword. "Oh. Then follow me."

The demigods began to stroll down the street, and Perseus took the time to read this place. His earlier estimate had been inaccurate: there was closer to 200 energies in this place, and many more to the East. Some felt stronger than others, and some were so pitifully weak.

This place, this… _New Rome_ , might have been impressive to some, but to a being that had lived for over 100 years, and seen every sight a continent had to offer, and interacted weekly with giant monsters, it was just another city with people in it. A food source, actually.

But, speaking of giant monsters, these demigods, these children of divine beings, were so _weak_. A single Awakened Being would've been overkill to send here to destroy Camp Jupiter. Hell, a single Yoma would've been able to handle this place, before it got cocky and someone landed a lucky blow.

These children had no regeneration, no durability, no speed or strength amount to shit, no senses, and most importantly: no power. These were god-children! He expected teens in shining armor, radiating awesome power, with looks in their eyes and faces that commanded respect and demanded servitude of those weaker than them. Not a bunch of riff-raff with shiny swords and shields!

He was tempted to wipe this place off the map just to alleviate the potential headache it would bring.

Perseus and Hazel reached the gates of the fort, and the former Claymore asked his somewhat-acquaintance about the gathering energy he sensed above the hill with all of the temples on it.

"That's Octavian reading the auguries. He's a legacy of Apollo, so he supposedly has the gift of prophecy," Hazel said with obvious distaste.

Perseus hummed. "Tell me, what is he like? A man with the power of prophecy sounds like a very dangerous enemy, and a useful ally."

Hazel scowled deeply, "He's a manipulative bastard who cares only about power, and how to get it. He has no actual fighting ability, but his words are his weapon. He can twist and turn anything into his favor with a few sweet sentences."

"You don't seem to think too highly of the man."

"He's not a man," Hazel snorted. "He's a sniveling little girl that was born with a penis, and hasn't grown breasts yet. And no, I think higher of toddlers who have accidents, then I do Octavian."

Perseus instantly realized that Octavian held some type of leverage over Hazel, and that was something that could not be left to stand. Hazel had a dormant power within her waiting to be unleashed, and there was something about her that screamed important, and Perseus trusted his instincts above all else. However, if this Octavian girl had more control over Miss Levesque, then he would keep that power chained inadvertently.

The Lord of the Abyss would sever that control.

But first, he couldn't believe his luck a second time. The first important person in this camp needed some penis, and the other important person was a power-hungry pussy with a silver tongue. Perseus had dealt with that kind of person before. Sometimes he would get bored of fighting Claymores, and would integrate himself into human society for nothing more than amusement. The amount of humans that wanted to be in possession of political power was insane, especially so considering the fact that every human on the continent was at the bottom of the food chain.

The way to deal human snakes was simple: lure them into your service after you show them that you have the power to make their dreams a reality, and after you're done with them, dispose of them and make yourself look like a hero, or keep them around because it was funny how they worshipped your feet while planning to backstab you in the near-future.

Back to the topic of Hazel's power though, in order to break Octavian's control, the Leviathan would need to earn her trust, and that might not be something easily done in the time it took to walk from point A to point B. Couldn't hurt to try.

Perseus pulled Hazel to the side as an elephant decked out in some type of body armor went thundering past, making a beeline for the construction area that was being set up in a field.

"My eyes are 20/20, but I could swear I just saw an elephant run passed us."

Hazel dusted off her pants, sending a grateful look at Perseus, "That was Hannibal, our war elephant. With the war games tonight, he needs to be down there and ready to go, or else he gets really upset."

"And we can't have an upset pachyderm, now can we?"

Hazel snorted in good nature, and Perseus took that as the signal to put Operation: Trust into motion, "I must apologize. In all this time that we've been together, not once did I properly introduce myself." He bowed slightly and extended his hand, "I am Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune. And what would your name be, M'lady?"

Hazel blushed in embarrassment, but smiled and put her hand in Perseus', "My name is Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto." The Lord of the Abyss brought the girl's hand to his lips, gently kissing it before releasing it and standing up straight with an amicable grin on his face, "Pluto, you say? If I recall correctly, Neptune and Pluto are brothers, so that makes us cousins!" he exclaimed jubilantly.

Hazel laughed at his infectious joy, "Yeah, I guess it does. Nice to meet ya, cuz!"

Perseus grinned, and started walking towards Temple Hill once more, Hazel strolling along with him. "So what's Camp Jupiter like? I'm assuming because your father is one of the Big Three that you're treated with respect."

Hazel's smile diminished slightly, "It's alright. It's better than what I've dealt with in the past." She suddenly flinched, like she just said something that wasn't supposed to be said, but she quickly covered it up and moved on, "As for respect, I'm actually kind of frowned upon because of my father."

Perseus hummed, filing away all of what he heard. It seemed that Hazel wanted to try and fit in with those lower than her, and her kind heart didn't allow for 'meanness.' It was clear that her upbringing was one that instructed her to be subdued, and accepting of what society threw at her. So, it was the angle of steady corruption that was worked by the Duke of Death.

"I noticed that the campers don't seem to favor me much either, despite who my father is as well."

"Here in New Rome, most people don't care about who your parent is, as long as you can fight, then you'll get respect."

"That's still no excuse for them look down upon us. Isn't the missing praetor Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter? It seems that the people adored him," Perseus said with false disdain. It was bait to see what Hazel thought of their other cousin.

"Jason was a hero to the people," Hazel defended with a bit of hostility. Ahhh, so she and Grace had a bond of sorts. "He was inducted into the legion at an early age, and people didn't like him much then, either. But he pushed through the jeers and stares and became a true Roman. He slew the Trojan Sea Monster, retrieved hundreds of Imperial Gold weapons, and led the assault on Mount Othrys last summer, where he defeated the Titan Krios and toppled the Black Throne of Saturn."

"Because he showed the people his power, is why he is hailed as a hero."

"But—"

Hazel shut her mouth when Perseus gave her a meaningful stare, "People have an inherent fear of what they don't understand. Unlike other demigods, children of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto have _real_ power. Jason could control wind and lightning, yes? I can control water and derive power from it, and you can cause earthquakes powerful enough to collapse tunnels. There's also no telling what else you can do, and that's why the campers don't like us. They fear us as much as they did Jason, but our cousin proved to be trustworthy." At the end of the monologue, Hazel sighed in frustration.

"I know. I've done everything I can to make myself not be threatening. I help out with everything, I volunteer for whatever job, and I do what's asked of me when someone asks me to do it. I just can't seem to get them to like me."

Perseus internally smirked. "That's your problem right there. You've come off as subservient and as a yes-man, and the campers are walking all over you for it. You'll never get their respect by bowing to their every whim. In my experience, if you want respect, you have to show them your power, and if they don't submit, _force them to_." Of course, that was coming from a being that had to bring others with animal-like instincts to heel on an almost daily basis.

Hazel looked appalled, but deep within her, _something_ began to awaken. "That's…that's a horrible thing to do! Forcing people to submit to you by fear never works, it just ends with you being killed by your own followers…" she trailed off silently.

"I never said make them submit by fear, I said make them submit with power. You said it yourself that demigods respect strength, not parentage. Well, strength _comes_ from parentage. You and I are the most powerful people here, and for that, the Romans fear us, but they mask their fear with jeers, quips, and stupidity. If you truly want to be respected and loved by the people, Hazel, then you need to show them just how powerful you really are, and prove yourself a leader."

It was this moment, that the daughter of Pluto began to question what she really wanted in her life. Her cousin had raised some very good points, and it made the girl think. She wanted nothing more than to fit in and make friends, just like every other teenager, but she didn't want to be walked all over. But, she couldn't do anything about because of Octavian's threat.

Hazel grit her teeth. Damn that slimy bastard, damn Gaea, and damn Alcyoneus straight into the deepest pit in Tartarus! If Octavian didn't know about the part Hazel played in bringing back the Bane of Pluto, her life would've been so much simpler…but wait a minute. Octavian's power of over stemmed from her fear of being rejected, which stemmed from her fear of being lynched or worse back in Louisiana all those years ago.

"You told me what you thought of Octavian, but it sounded more like a personal vendetta. Can you tell me why?"

Hazel froze, causing Perseus to look back at her with panic on his face. "I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry!" he said in a rush.

Hazel realized that he probably thought she would get mad at him, but that wasn't the case. She _needed_ to tell someone else about this, besides Nico. Frank was nice, he really, really was, and Hazel would freely admit behind closed doors that she found the clumsy boy cute and attractive, but she wasn't sure their relationship wasn't that strong yet.

Then again, the relationship between her and Perseus was far weaker, and yet, her cousin gave off a completely disarming aura of friendship, and family. He felt like someone she could trust to pull herself out of any jam, from being out of toilet paper to something life-threatening.

"No, it's alright. I need to get this off my chest anyway. You're my cousin, and we haven't known each other for very long, but, I can trust you right? With anything?" Hazel said hopefully.

On the inside, the Abyssal Lord roared in victory. Two down, one to go. "Of course you can trust me, Hazel. I haven't had much family in my life, so I'll be damned before I ruin any relationship I have with my new cousin."

Hazel smiled, tremendously relieved. She told her new friend about her life in the 1940s, about Sammy, her not-quite boyfriend, about Queen Marie, her mother, about moving to Alaska, about how she was influenced by Gaea to raise Alcyoneus, and how she went against the Earth Mother's commands and sent everything back into the ground.

Perseus internally whistled as he pulled the slightly emotional Hazel into a hug. That was quite the story she just told. Honestly, he didn't see how that was supposed to be a big secret; she raised a giant and then destroyed it, she was from the past, big fucking deal. They were all a part of a family that regularly practiced incest and somehow gave birth to the most hideous things Perseus had ever seen (and he had seen Awakened Beings).

But hey, Hazel, like Reyna, was now his. Octavian's control over the girl had been shifted to the Leviathan, and the augur was next.

"I hate blackmail. It's a coward's weapon, and is something I won't ever use." Evidence of that hypocrisy could be found in his pocket where Reyna's panties resided, but he needed something to reinforce his standing with Hazel.

It worked, because the girl smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The demigods continued their journey to Temple Hill in a comfortable silence, enjoying the other's company more than anything. Well, that was how one child thought of things. The other was trying to wrap his head around why there were people with the ass-ends of goats coming up to bother him.

"Hey! Hazel!" said a goat-boy with an afro, rainbow tinted sunglasses, and the most colorful shirt Perseus had ever seen. Around his neck was a cardboard sign that read: WILL WORK, SING, TALK, GO AWAY for denarii. Oh, he was about to go away all right, for none of those reasons and without denarii.

"Hey, Don," Hazel said tiredly. "Sorry, we don't have time for—"

"Oh that's cool, that's cool!" Don trotted alongside them. "Hey, this guy's new!" He smiled at Perseus, and the Awakened Being almost split the faun in half. "Do you have three denarii for the bus? I left my wallet at home, and I have to get to work, and—"

That was as far as he got before Perseus conked him on the head. Don the Faun crumpled into an unconscious heap on the ground.

Hazel sighed in a relieved way, "Thanks. He and the other fauns are harmless really, but they are so godsdamned annoying. Always begging the campers for denarii, and not working and stuff."

"Why tolerate them, then? If they annoy you and can't get the hint to go away, then send them away in some form or another. Oh hey, that's a nice rock." Perseus reached down and swiped up a very beautiful diamond before Hazel could scream at him to stop. "Too bad I really have no interest in money." Then he crushed the diamond into tiny pieces.

The daughter of Pluto blinked. Did he just _crush_ a _diamond!?_ Just how powerful is Perseus?

"You okay there, Hazel? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Um…yeah, everything's fine."

Perseus knew that everything was not fine. The way she reacted to him touching the diamond, the way the rock was pulled from the earth by her agitation…precious rocks were somehow linked to her power, and the rocks appeared to have some type of adverse effect on whoever touched them.

The Leviathan didn't feel anything.

Maybe it took a while for the rocks' magic to start working?

The two continued their trek to the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Hazel pointed out several of the temples, like the one for Mars Ultor, Rome's second most important god; Perseus felt compelled to hurl that damn thing into the moon, which was apparently the symbol of power of Diana; the Leviathan remembered a Claymore by the name of Diana, spry little bitch, kept spouting nonsense about the good in him, before he ripped out her spine…head still attached.

Hazel showed him the temple of Reyna's mom, Bellona. Perseus openly smirked at that. He wondered how the goddess felt about him fucking her daughter in the rectum while bending her over a table and making her moan like a submissive bitch…with her dirty panties in his pocket.

The temple that Perseus was the least interested in was the one dedicated to his supposed father, Neptune. The temple was a decrepit little thing, only the size of a toolshed, with a dusty trident nailed above the door. The Wide Smile peeked inside, saw a bowl filled with moldy apples, and promptly shut the door with a dull look on his face.

"I take it that Daddy isn't very well liked around these parts."

"I'm sorry, Percy," Hazel said. "It's just…Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had to. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion…well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake, and thousands of people died."

Heh heh. Only thousands. Should've seen the damage that another child of Neptune caused.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus was highly unimpressed with Jupiter's temple. A bunch of columns holding up a dome, some fancy tiles and words carved into the marble floor, and two-legged shit doing some ritual at the base of a statue of the big man himself. The Leviathan was under the impression that Jupiter was trying have a staring contest with him.

The kid raised his hands up to the sky, causing red lightning to flash, then he put his hands on the ground, causing the dark clouds to fade into nonexistence to let the blue sky shine down upon them all once more.

Neat trick the kid had, but it was hardly something for the Leviathan to be impressed over. When the two-legged shit could rearrange the landscape by flaring whatever miniscule power he had, then Perseus might consider him worthy to be toilet paper.

"Perseus," Hazel said. "This is Octavian."

Octavian turned around and Perseus felt his opinion of the kid drop into the negatives. Baggy jeans, baggy shirt, bedsheet, Claymore-colored hair, and crazed blue eyes. The Wide Smile felt that assassination was going to be the best option to deal with this one, but he wasn't ready to get his hands dirty just yet.

Whatever color the legacy of Apollo had in his face was suddenly gone when he laid eyes on the Leviathan. Recognition flashed in Octavian's eyes, as well as fear. Honestly, he looked ready to piss himself.

"Y-you are Perseus Jackson, correct? The One to Stand Above All Others?"

The Leviathan's eyes widened, "How do you know that name, boy?"

Octavian realized he was standing on thin ice, and hurriedly stuttered out his answer. "T-the auguries t-told m-m-me of your arrival, and of your power," he finished in reverence.

Hazel stared between the two in confusion. She had never seen Octavian act this way, not even with Jason. Something about Perseus had the augur ready to piss himself, and Hazel would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the show.

The Abyssal Lord stalked forward, and lifted Octavian into the air by the front of his shirt, "How much do you know, boy? If you lie to me, I will destroy you."

"E-everything. Juno Moneta told me everything. From the Organization to your mission here."

"And what will you do about it, augur?" Perseus snarled. If this boy was going to be a liability, the Wide Smile was going to kill him before he could cause any harm. A threat like this could not, and would not be tolerated.

Octavian gasped, "For the good of Rome, I'll do everything I can to help you."

Whether his words were genuine, spoken out of fear, or something speaking through the brat, Perseus believed him. He dropped Octavian, the augur stumbling a little before righting himself. The Wide Smile fixed the legacy of Apollo with a death-stare.

"I will trust you for now, Octavian," he said darkly. "But if you cheat me," the camera suddenly zoomed up on the Leviathan's face, making it take up the screen, his heterochromic eyes glowing, "I will tear your soul apart."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What was that about?" Hazel asked after the two left the temple. Perseus stopped, and had a _very_ intense debate in his mind over whether or not to lie, tell half-truths, or just come clean. Well, this would either end with bloodshed, or a stronger 'bond.'

The Wide Smile held his arm up, and Hazel gasped in shock when the appendage transformed into a demonic limb. The arm separated at the elbow, extended backwards, turned pitch-black, the middle finger extending into a marlin-like blade, and the rest of the digits turned into claws and curled inwards.

"This is going to be one helluva conversation."

 _A bit later_

"I swear on the River Styx that everything I just told you is true."

Thunder rumbled, and when Perseus didn't combust or whatever was supposed to happen if you break on oath on the Styx, Hazel sat down on the ground, an awed expression on her face.

"Woah."

"Just take your time processing. I know it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah…Yoma, Claymores, Awakened Beings, Creatures of the Abyss, your own _army_. If your oath on the Styx wasn't real, I would've called you crazy and had a very serious conversation with you and your grip on reality."

"Love you too, cuz."

Hazel just shook her head, making her frizzy hair dance, "Whatever. I came back from the dead, can control gold, silver, and every gemstone and mineral on the planet, and use a cavalry sword as my main weapon while being a part of a legion of Roman demigods that shouldn't exist. Come one, I'll introduce to my brother."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Is it just me, or does Perseus seem to be displaying Sith-like qualities?**_

 _ **Anyway, we now have Reyna in the pocket, Hazel in the pocket (I hope that conversation was believable; it reminded of that seen in Death Note where Kira got that woman to give him her real name) and Octavian hopped into the pocket of his own free will.**_

 _ **Yes, he was telling the truth. No, he won't be idiotic and try to subvert Perseus.**_

 _ **Next chapter we'll see how Nico reacts to Leviathan!Percy. Will the son of Hades still have the hots for his man-crush? Will he run off to CHB to tell the campers? How will Perseus react to another boy loving him?**_

 _ **Probably in a very negative way.**_

 _ **As always…Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	16. War Games? That's Cute

_War Games? That's Cute_

 _ **And we're back! Perseus is going to meet Nico di Angelo for the 'first' time, and will be really suspicious. We'll also be seeing what the Leviathan thinks of the 'war games.' Spoiler warning: he won't be impressed.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own either franchise

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nico di Angelo's breath hitched in his throat and his heart hammered to a stop when he saw the boy that was with his sister, Hazel.

Tall, tanned skin, angular jaw, smelled like the ocean. Nico didn't remember _his_ hair being white, but perhaps it was just a new dye he was trying out. The angel also didn't remember _him_ having a silver left eye, a pearl pendant shaped like a trident piercing an omega attached to a golden chain, or a taste in any black-colored clothing.

But without a doubt, that was the boy that Nico had fallen for.

That was Percy Jackson.

It shouldn't have been possible. Hades and the rest of the Olympians had decreed that the Hero of Olympus was dead. There had been a mock-funeral, lots of crying and misty eyes for boys, girls, nymphs, satyrs, and divine beings alike. A monument had been designed by Annabeth, and was currently being built on Olympus.

The Percabeth relationship had never been resolved.

Sally was just starting to come out of her depression, most likely due to the new life growing inside her. Poseidon seemed to have moved on, but there a hollow look in his eyes that had been present ever since the last search attempt. Clarisse had kicked everyone out of the Ares cabin that day, and she would vehemently deny to anyone that said she was crying. Thalia had been unapproachable for weeks, arcs of lighting blasting away anyone that came within five feet of her; Artemis eventually had to step in and shove her divine foot up her half-sister's ass to get her to stop moping and get cleaned up. Thalia hadn't showered at all, but luckily she had the sense to go to the bathroom whenever she needed to.

Nico himself though…the only reason he hadn't joined his big sister was because he found his little sister, and his father had shown that he wasn't a completely stone-cold bastard by consoling his son. Even Persephone had sat down and gave him an almost motherly talk.

Back to the present, however, Nico noticed that several things were immediately wrong with Percy, beyond his new appearance. One was his eye, and he didn't mean the color. They shone with a sinister and calculative light, like a mad god determining how to defeat his opponent. Then there were his movements. They were too fluid and graceful, they screamed 'I'm more powerful than you'll ever be, so don't piss me off'; it was a far cry from the stocky, almost lumbering gait that Percy once had. And finally, there was the very _air_ around the son of Poseidon.

It was heavy with a foreign, crushing power. There was an aura of death and madness surrounding Perseus that seemed to rival Hades and Dionysus in their domains.

That was undoubtedly Percy, but that wasn't Nico's, or Annabeth's, or Sally's, or Poseidon's, or anyone's Percy…this was something entirely different, and _very_ powerful.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus followed Hazel to a temple that looked like a black crypt that was built into the side of the Hill. Standing out in front was a kid that would've felt right at home with the Organization's handlers. Dressed in all-black, skull design on the shirt, a jacket of some sort, pale skin, dark eyes, messy black hair, and a toothpick sheathed at his waist.

This kid had an aura that felt like Hazel's, but was still very different. The girl's aura could be most accurately described as earth and riches, the boy's aura felt most like death and shadow. Where Hazel felt dignified and serious, the boy felt angry, bitter, and…was that _lust_?

When they got closer, the Leviathan's instincts went haywire around the kid. Perseus could smell _himself_ on this child. It was faint, very faint, and highly diluted-probably a few months at least-but without a doubt, this boy and the Wide Smile had interacted with each other frequently in the past, and by the look in the emo's eyes, the kid knew very much about his (Perseus) past.

The Leviathan kept his cool, though. Beating the answers out of this kid wouldn't earn him any brownie points with Hazel, and he would be lying if he said that the brat wasn't growing on him. Reminded the Wide Smile of Clare honestly.

"Hey," Hazel called. "I brought a friend. This is Perseus Jackson. He's a good guy. Percy, this is my brother, the son of Pluto."

For some reason, the Leviathan felt the 'son of Hades' was the more appropriate title. For another reason, he had the nagging suspicion that this kid and he had some really in-depth history with each other. Good, maybe this kid could shed some light upon the shadows that were in the Abyssal Lord's fragmented memory.

The boy held out his hand, and Perseus took it tightly. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Nico di Angelo."

A crack formed in Perseus' memory block. Memories of this kid began to pop back into place. He had a dead sister, he tried to kill him (Perseus), they had resolved those issues and had become friends-bleh-and this kid had helped Perseus do something really important…but what was it?

A scythe? Giant, blue people? Golden eyes?

So many annoying gaps.

It was clear that Percy didn't remember Nico. But the son of Hades already had a theory formed about that. The Giants were rising and Gaea was waking, Hera had already brought Jason to Camp Half-Blood to begin the exchange, perhaps this was the final step. If Jason had his memories all wiped, then it only made sense that Percy would, too! In fact, it all made sense now.

Hera and the gods had known that Gaea would come back like she did in ancient times, and had prepared accordingly. They hid Percy away from everyone to sell the deception, and now they were launching the surprise attack. Since that was the case, Nico would play along for now, then he would Shadow Travel his ass to Camp Half-Blood and tell everyone that Percy was back.

"I get the distinct feeling that I know you from somewhere, kid."

Nico blinked, and played dumb, "I do?"

The Leviathan was unimpressed with di Angelo's attempt at innocence. "Yes. And I find playing dumb to be very vexing. My memory isn't what it used to be, and I _know_ that I know you and you know me. Start talking, before I lose my over abounding patience," Perseus said with a tone of warning, his eyes glowing faintly.

"Uh, Nico, you should probably answer him," Hazel said frantically.

Nico internally panicked. Percy didn't have his memories for the same reason Jason didn't, but the son of Poseidon seemed more like he had actual amnesia as opposed to Hera's memory block. Regardless of whatever reason, Nico knew that he couldn't tell his crush…not yet. But this wasn't the same Percy. This guy gave off a very serious vibe of 'lie and you're dead.'

So Nico did the only thing that he thought was appropriate: he dove into the nearest shadow.

Perseus blinked. That was new. He spread out senses, searching for the aura of death and shadow. Well wasn't that some shit. In the fifty miles that the Leviathan was consciously searching in, there wasn't any aura like that anywhere.

"Hazel, what the hell was that?"

The daughter of Pluto fidgeted nervously, fully aware of the power of the demigod before her. "That was Shadow Travel. It's a thing he can do that lets him teleport using shadows."

"Oh, okay then." Perseus dug his hand into the ground, and shouted in frustration as he ripped the Temple of Pluto from Temple Hill and hurled it to Mount Diablo. Hazel wondered if anyone saw that. Probably, Octavian did come running around the corner.

"What in Pluto's name was that—oh it's you. Well, I, uh, I'll be reading the auguries if you need me," he said in a rush.

"Octavian!" Perseus barked. The augur poked his head around the corner of the Hill, "Yes?"

"Nico di Angelo. Information. Now."

"Y-yes sir. He's the ambassador for the god, Pluto. He typically comes and goes as he pleases. He has a special seat in the senate meetings, and is generally a creepy person. Members of the legion are rather put off by him."

"Thank you. Go read your mutilated animal stuffing."

Octavian saluted, "Yes sir!"

Perseus rolled his eyes. Hazel assumed that the augur reminded the Leviathan of one of his soldiers. She was correct. While the century-old man didn't delve into the specifics of his army, there were more than a few men and women that had a penchant for screaming 'yes sir' whenever he gave them an order.

"Come on," the Abyssal Lord said. "I can sense the children are beginning to gather."

Right. He could sense energy, and because he was over a hundred years old, he referred to people as children. Hazel wasn't exactly young herself, but still. She didn't call others 'children.'

The two raced down the hill, the demigoddess fully aware that her cousin could walk faster than she could sprint. The two made it back to the barracks with time to spare, and Hazel hurried off to put on her armor.

Perseus made his way into the principia, the two guards not even bothering to try and stop him. This kid looked scary. The Leviathan found Reyna inside, the praetor typing on a laptop. Talk was small, but this conversation wasn't meant to be long. The Wide Smile learned what was happening.

The cohorts would gather for evening muster, he would be sorted into whatever cohort wanted to take him in, they would all disperse for an hour-long dinner, before the cohorts would gather for the war games, in which the First and Second Cohorts would be defending the flag, and the other three Cohorts would be attacking.

Octavian entered soon after, making Reyna's eyes narrow, mentally preparing for the upcoming verbal warfare, but Perseus quickly diffused the situation with a quick explanation that the augur was no longer an 'enemy.' The praetor's eyes widened when she realized that Perseus was friends with the most powerful people in New Rome. Her, the leader of the legion, Octavian, the augur, First Cohort centurion, and top pick for praetor, and Hazel Levesque, the daughter of Pluto.

What followed after that was what could almost be called a conspiracy.

Reyna was filled in on the truth of Perseus, and his purpose here in the camp. Octavian painted himself in a new light as a righteous young man doing what he thought was for the good of Rome, which was diverting all of his resources and support in the favor of Perseus becoming praetor. Reyna was relieved to hear that.

Of course, something like that couldn't happen overnight, so the three began to discuss how to make a plausible situation for Perseus to take over the praetorship. The first plan brought up was to manipulate the war games tonight in the Leviathan's favor, but the Lord of the Abyss proved to wise and cunning during that meeting.

The plan was to paint Perseus in an incompetent light, with Octavian doing the painting. He would ask his unofficial superior if he had any letters of recommendation, which the Purple Butcher did not have. Now it was up to Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque to play hero and further ruin the image. Perseus would join the Fifth Cohort, and during the war games in a little over an hour, would show himself as a hero, popping up around here and there to save members of the attacking cohorts.

Boost the image of comradery, you know?

Octavian shared with the other two his knowledge that Thanatos had been chained somewhere in Alaska, and that with Death itself held prisoner, monsters—and potentially demigods—would not be dying in an easy way. Perseus realized that with the Feast of Tuna coming up in a few days, combined with the approaching Giant Army, there would undoubtedly be a quest or something to free Thanatos.

And that would be the time for Octavian to start showing his support.

Perseus and his quest mates, which would probably end up being Frank and Hazel, would go to Alaska, free Death, and hightail it the fuck back to New Rome just in time to be heroes. The problem here was getting the legion to last long enough against the giant's army. Reyna had a potential solution in the form of Hylla, her big sister who just so happened to be the Queen of the Amazons.

Further plans were put on hold due to the sound of a horn blowing.

Perseus shared a smirk with his allies. Time to go to work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Lord of the Abyss couldn't believe how easy that was. Everything had gone exactly as planned. Octavian made Perseus look silly with textbook acting, and Frank and Hazel unwittingly stood up to their roles with military accuracy. The First Number 1 was now a part of the frowned upon Fifth Cohort, and dinner went along smoothly, despite him eating well over a half ton of rare steak without there being any change to his body weight or appearance.

If people had been smarter, they would've noticed that Reyna had never given the new legionary a probatio tablet. Perseus might have been willing to tone down some things, but he was _not_ about lower himself to the level of pooper-scooper.

Now the Cohorts were marching down to the field of battle, and Perseus was roaring with laughter on the inside. He remembered this contingent of Yoma that had gathered in a fortress like the one he was about to demolish, one complete with scorpions and ballistae and catapults. The Yoma had defended well enough, but Perseus painted the stones purple all the same.

"So do you guys play war every night?"

Frank looked at his somewhat-friend, "Not every night. Sometimes it's death ball, or keep away."

"And the purpose of all of this is…?"

"Teamwork," Hazel answered. "Tactics, quick-thinking, strategy. Learning how fight with and without people by your side."

"Neat. Anyone die in these things?"

"Not usually. Our healers are pretty good with nectar, ambrosia, and unicorn draught," Frank said. "But sometimes there are just some people that are too injured."

"I take it killing is legal, then?"

"Gods, no!" Hazel gasped. "But you're expected to fight with lethal intent and if you can't defend properly, then it's your fault for dying."

"I think I just might actually enjoy myself tonight."

The Cohorts came to a stop, with the Third and Fourth assembling a large distance away from the Fifth. It was times like these that Perseus thanked Michael Varus for fucking up the way he did. Because of the son of Janus not only lost a bunch of swords, but also the legion's eagle standard, the Fifth Cohort was regarded with shame.

And it was the shamed that had the most potential to rise.

And Perseus would be the one to put them at the top.

The centurions of the attacking cohorts gathered to make a plan, and Perseus observed the battlefield. Reyna flew overhead on her Pegasus, Scipio, with a number of giant eagles flying behind her, acting as medical transport. He caught Octavian's eye from across the torn up Field of Mars, and the two nodded at each other. Frank set down his equipment and checked to see if Perseus did his armor correctly, only to find that the son of Neptune wasn't wearing _any_ armor. Actually, he hadn't even changed clothes. He was still clad in his black shoes, jeans, and vest.

"Dude, I know you're strong, but you need some kind of protection out there."

Perseus fought the smirk. Frank didn't know the truth, only Hazel, Reyna, and Octavian did. If the entire camp knew about the Leviathan's power, the arrangements would be more like 'all Cohorts defend, Perseus attack.' The odds would still be tipped in his favor.

The Wide Smile placed a hand on Frank's shoulder, and smiled in a way that made the burly kid feel at ease with himself. "Don't worry, man. I'll be fine, and so will the both of you."

Frank looked at Hazel to make sure she was hearing the same things, but the beautiful daughter of Pluto was grinning with confidence. Frank's heart fluttered, and suddenly he was filled with a strange warmth as well. Now the descendent of Periclymus also felt ready for ready for battle.

Horns blew. Dakota and Gwen walked back from the officers' conference, looking grim.

"All right, here's the plan!" Dakota took a quick swig of Kool-Aid from his travel flask. "They're throwing us at the walls first to soften up the defenses."

The whole cohort groaned.

"I know, I know," Gwen said. "But maybe this time we'll have some luck!"

Leave it to Gwen to be the optimist. Everybody liked her because she took care of her people and tried to keep their spirits up. She could even control Dakota during his hyperactive bug-juice fits. Still, the campers grumbled and complained. Nobody believed in luck for the Fifth.

"First line with Dakota," Gwen said. "Lock shields and advance in turtle formation to the main gates. Try to stay in one piece. Draw their fire. Second line—" Gwen turned to Frank's row without much enthusiasm. "You seventeen, from Bobby over, take charge of the elephant and the scaling ladders. Try a flanking attack on the western wall. Maybe we can spread the defenders too thin. Frank, Hazel, Percy…well, just do whatever. Show Percy the ropes. Try to keep him alive." She turned back to the whole cohort. "If anybody gets over the wall first, I'll make sure you get the Mural Crown. Victory for the Fifth!"

The cohort cheered half-heartedly and broke ranks.

"Right then. How good are you two at making speeches?" Frank and Hazel looked at him confused. "I've got an idea that'll shell-shock everyone, and break their minds. When that happens, we'll swoop in, say some fancy, motivational words, and get those flags out of that fort before the First and Second can recover."

Hazel had an inkling of what her cousin was talking about, and Frank suddenly looked very apprehensive. Perseus decided to fix that. He grabbed Frank's chubby cheeks and brought the surprised legionnaire close to his face.

One could practically hear a military-styled drum rapidly beat in the background.

"Listen to me Zhang, and listen well. These are the _war games_. It is the fiery crucible in which true heroes are formed. The one place where all men share the same rank, regardless of what kind of timid scum they are going in. For you, boy, this where you get to decide if you want to become a man and bring honor to your family, and maybe get your father's attention, or whimper and hide in the background. Now, do you have balls or not?"

"I-I do, sir!" Frank stuttered in surprise.

"Bullshit! Sound off like you've got a pair!"

"I DO SIR!"

"Now that's more like it! Let's go fuck up a fort."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Third and Fourth Cohorts stood back, watching the Fifth get into formation for the first assault. Like all Romans, the Fifth's soldiers had been well-trained, and well-polished just like everyone else, but they were cursed so what the hell. Send them in first, have a few laughs, and then get down to business.

So imagine everyone's surprise, even the Fifth's, when they saw the green-horn son of Neptune stroll right into the middle of the Field like he owned the place. The Fifth couldn't believe what was happening, the other four Cohorts busted out laughing, the echo of almost 200 hundred teenagers bouncing around.

Perseus paid them no heed. Besides, why would a god listen to the jeers of rats? He yawned, spreading arms wide and cracking his back, "Nothing like a brief warmup before a round of genocide." Laughter was replaced with slowly fading smiles. The Leviathan was giddy, butterflies darting around in his stomach, not from nervousness-perish the thought! -but from excitement.

This was going to be so much _fun!_

"Uh, Percy? What're you doing?" Gwen asked, concerned for her newest legionnaire.

The Lord of the Abyss responded by taking the pendant around his neck, and ripped it off. In a flash of light, the 5'7 young man was leisurely holding a massive slab of steel that was 6' long. It was a gigantic claymore, the cross-guard being thin, golden horns that curved slightly up, the handle being long, and colored the same green as its wielder's right eye, a golden spike for a pommel, and the blade, easily a foot across at its widest, and only slightly tapering to a point after running for five feet.

That thing had to weigh over a hundred pounds, and he was casually spinning it around like a child playing with a stick.

Perseus brought his claymore back over his left shoulder, the blade glinting in the moonlight overhead, gripped it with both hands, understood what Heavy-Bladed Chloe felt like 90 ninety years ago, and _swung down_.

The battlefield was silent, everyone wondering what the newbie was trying to pull. After nothing happened, someone from the back yelled out, "Get back in line, dumbass!"

Then the sound of groaning rocks and tearing metal echoed over the Field of Mars. Heads swiveled back to the fort…and jaws unhinged as minds broke. The fort had been cut diagonally in half, and the top was sliding off like an eviscerated cranium, before crashing violently to the earth below, kicking up a cloud of dust.

And then the tops of the rolling hills behind the Field of Mars began to slide off their bases, crashing to the ground. **(Madara Uchiha, anyone?)**

' _Huh. Wasn't aiming to take out the hills, but oh well. It just adds to the shock factor. Now, time for an epic motivational speech to get these sheep in line.'_

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your years! The enemy stronghold in in ruins! Their forces are scattered and disoriented!" Perseus' powerful voice thundered across the Field of Mars, drawing the awed gazes of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cohorts.

In his momentary pause, Hazel appeared next to her cousin, and threw in her own addition, "Now is the time to strike! Now is the time to take that fort, and the banners inside!"

Frank stepped up, a powerful glint in his eyes, "Help us defeat the enemy! For honor! For glory! For _ROME!_ "

The Cohorts cheered.

"Frank, Hazel, lead the Third and Fourth to the left and the right! Fifth Cohort with me! Turtle formation!"

Whether it was that the troops were properly inspired, whether it was the heat of the moment, or whether it was some otherworldly force that compelled them to obey, but the Cohorts obeyed the Leviathan's orders, the centurions gladly stepping aside and getting in formation behind their assigned leaders. The Romans shaped up instantly, forming 5x8 formations, mostly.

Perseus lined the Fifth up in the center, Dakota and Gwen at his sides. Hazel lined the Fourth up at the right, and Frank lined the Third on the left. Was that red aura surrounding him?

The Leviathan pointed his claymore forward, "CHARGE!"

A battle cry not heard since the Rebel Yell of the Civil War went up over the Field of Mars, and the earth trembled as a little over 120 boys and girls decked out in over a hundred pounds of gear marched North to the broken fort.

Despite their broken stronghold, the First and Second had recovered from their shock, and their centurions and formed a four-lined blockade in front of the ruins. With the top half of the fort gone, soldiers had to rely on archers and pilum for artillery.

Perseus, Frank and Hazel formed the proper formation for dealing with projectiles, the legionnaires hunkering down and raising their shields. Arrows rained down, only to be either imbedded in, or bounce off of, the big, square shields. Perseus used the flat of his claymore as his shield.

"Pila!" he yelled loudly, the other two copying him.

The legionaries raised their spears, hurled them with a resounding 'ooh.' The pila flew through the air, each one making contact with either flesh or metal. Many enemy soldiers went down with giant sticks in their legs, shoulders, or some had to drop their shields due to the odd weight.

Now with their new formation broken, and the attacking Cohorts out of ammo, Perseus just went with fuck it, and opened the Gates of Hell. He charged forward, screaming like a madman, causing the other Cohorts to do the same. Broken and disoriented as they were, the First and Second were completely caught with their pants down when their opponents did the most unRoman thing in military history.

With Hannibal the Elephant barreling through lines somewhere off to the side, and the cohorts colliding in a massive brawl of swords and shields, Perseus quietly slipped into the background.

He began to pop in at random places, seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, he wasn't doing anything against the First and Second, like killing rigging fights, well, technically speaking. Instead, he was rescuing his downed 'comrades.'

He would blur behind a legionnaire from the First or Second Cohort that was gaining the upper hand against a legionnaire from the other Cohorts, and swiftly take them down, saving the boy or girl that was about to get seriously injured.

While the Leviathan was playing hero, and slowly but surely earning the favor of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth, Hazel and Frank were on a roll. The daughter of Pluto had hitched a ride on Hannibal, scattering enemy groups apart, and leaning down to take a few swipes at those that got too close. Frank was fueled by a power he didn't know he had.

His pupils were glowing red, and his body was covered in a faint, ruby glow. He knew _everything_ about combat right now. As he made a beeline for the banners, being the first one over the broken walls (the Mural Crown was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment), he swiftly and surgically took down all that got in his way.

Someone charged at Frank from the side, only to get a mouthful of shield. Someone came from the front, but Frank ducked down and let the girl go flying over his shield. Two more from the front; the left had the edge of Frank's shield driven into his nose, and the right one slashed down, but the unknown son of Mars stepped forward and caught the offending arm with his shoulder plates, while driving his gladius into his enemy's sternum through the chinks of his armor.

Frank had instinctive knowledge of what to do right now. How to react, how to block, how to dodge, and how to perform nonfatal attacks. It looked like choreography, the way Frank tore through enemy soldiers like tissue paper.

Eventually, Perseus found Hazel and Frank, and the three of them tore through what was left of the defenders, broke down what was left of the inner keep's doors, made short work of the guards inside, and strolled out of the ruined fort on an elephant with a couple of banners.

Reyna flew down on her Pegasus, "The game is won! Assemble for honors!"

The campers slowly got back together on the Field of Mars, and the Abyssal Lord was pretty sure that Octavian stabbed Gwen in the back in order to test his Death Theory. It would indeed be interesting to see if the girl would just walk out of Underworld or not.

"Help!" said someone from the back. A couple of campers came running out of the ruins, carrying the Fifth Cohort's centurion on a stretcher. From some point of views, it looked like the girl was holding a pilum between her arm and chest, with the point going up.

Octavian had speared her from behind.

The medics did what they could, but one looked up at Reyna and shook his head. The praetor's expression became dark as she scanned the crowd, "There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but this…"

Perseus was going to have to diffuse this later, but then he sensed Gwen's pitiful energy return to her, and she gasped awake.

"W-what is it?" She blinked. "What's everyone staring at?" She didn't seem to register the harpoon that had destroyed her left booby.

Gwen tried to sit up, but couldn't. "There was a river, and a man asking…for a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just…I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?"

Perseus stepped forward and kneeled in front of the girl. "What's happened, is that someone took a cheap shot at your ass. From what you said, and from what we saw, is that A) you died. B) you met Charon. And C) you told him to go fuck himself and promptly left the Underworld because you could."

"Told w-who to go w-what?" Gwen stuttered.

"Nothing," Perseus sighed. He gripped the pilum. "Now stare into my pretty eyes, because on the count of three I'm ripping this out of your boob."

Gwen glanced down, and almost panicked at seeing the spear that had killed her. She began to breath rapidly, but Perseus suddenly grabbed her other boob. Gwen's eyes snapped back to the one groping her, and angry blush on her cheeks.

"Now that I have your attention, we're going to pull this out on three. Ready?" Gwen nodded, and closed her eyes in preparation.

"1…"

SCHLICK

"Gah! What happened to two and three!?"

Perseus twirled the bloody pilum around like a baton. "You were expecting those numbers. Nothing gets rid of the pain better than a little bit shock." The gaping hole in the centurion's chest closed up, but the ragged hole in her shirt and armor left her breast exposed to the cool night air. Gwen covered herself up with a blush.

"You know, there are easier ways to get a vasectomy."

"Hey!" Gwen cried indignantly.

Despite the situation, there were a few bouts of laughter here and there. But all of that was cut off when a thunderous voice rolled across the Field of Mars: Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning.

Camper drew weapons, Hannibal trumpeted, and Scipio almost threw off Reyna.

A column of fire erupted in front of everybody, and the heat seared eyelashes, and made peoples' skin feel really dry. The fire died down, and a soldier wearing the strangest shit Perseus had ever seen had appeared.

Frank was walking towards the god, but it was clear to the Leviathan that it was against his own will. The boy kneeled, and every other Roman followed his lead. Except for one obvious exception. Perseus didn't bow to anybody, especially those that the he knew were weaker than he was.

"That's good," said the god. "Kneeling is good. It's been a long time since I've been to Camp Jupiter."

"Hmm. You seem familiar to me. Have I…threatened you before?"

A collective gasp went up at Perseus' statement. What was he thinking? Frank wanted to placate the god, but he had no idea what to say. He was afraid his new friend might get mowed down with the giant M16.

Mars, because it was obvious who this guy was, looked down at Perseus, and looked ready to haul ass back to Olympus. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Perseus smirked, smelling the god's fear, "I'm here because Juno wants me to win this upcoming war for her. Personally, I think you could've all handled this on your own, but hey. I was promised my memories back, and I get to break some necks and crush some skulls along the way. It's a win-win, really."

"I see," Mars said slowly. "But back to business."

Mars scanned the crowd. "Romans, lend me your ears!" He laughed—a good, hearty bellow, so infectious it almost made people smile, though they were still shivering with fear. "I've always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter doesn't like us communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have always been my special people. I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up."

He pointed at Gwen. "This one should be dead, yet she's not. The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth again.

"Thanatos has been chained," Mars announced. "The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them—at least, not impartially. Gaea allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons the giants are mustering armies against you—armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only he can reverse the tide."

Mars looked around, and noticed that everyone was still silently kneeling. "Oh, you can get up now. Any questions?"

Reyna, Perseus, and Octavian, who the Wide Smile forced to walk like a dignified human being, approached the God of War.

"So, Death is now a nonfactor?"

"Pretty much."

"Will the legion be able to reap the same benefits?"

"Mostly. Ask Centurion Shish kebab."

"Sweet. Now, where exactly is Thanatos?"

"In the land beyond the gods." Hazel made a squeaking sound. Perseus knew where that was from what the girl had told him of her past. Alaska; problem was, that was a really big place.

"Could you be any less vague?"

"Without a doubt."

"Mm-hm. To sum everything up, there's an army marching here led by one of Gaea's sons. Thanatos is chained up, so the monsters will not be dying easily. We have to free Thanatos, who is somewhere in one of the biggest landmasses on the planet. And then make it back to New Rome in time for the Feast for Tuna."

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Also, Thanatos is being guarded by Gaea's eldest son."

"Of course he is. Anything else, or is that all?"

"One more thing." Mars looked at Frank, and Perseus grinned. Knew it, he thought.

 _We all know how that went_

"Now, my son will lead the quest, and can take two companions. One of them needs to be this one," Mars jabbed a finger at Perseus, "maybe he'll die. And the other one is his choice. Have a senate meeting or something, you're good at those."

Thunder rumbled.

"Well that's my cue. Until next time, Romans. Don't fail me!" Mars was gone in a column of flame.

It was silent, before Perseus said the strangest thing, "That reminds me. I really need to get me some new shoes."

Reyna shook her head, wondering why she hadn't put on another pair of panties yet, but did the traditional thing and saluted Frank Zhang, the son of Mars. The rest of the legion did the same.

The praetor ordered all to return to their barracks, but Perseus and Octavian easily made it to the principia after curfew without getting caught.

"What the hell was that out there that you just pulled, Octavian?" Reyna demanded coldly. The augur was about to defend himself, but Perseus stepped in with more authority than what Mars had.

"Silence. Both of you. You took a gamble tonight Octavian, one that luckily played out in your favor. Now we have the reassurance that the campers will be able to hold their own against the monster army as long as they can leave the Underworld, and the pivotal quest had been issued by Mars himself. All according to plan.

"Speaking of the plan, good job, both of you, on your performances tonight. Octavian, excellent work on selling the ploy. Reyna, excellent work on playing the neutral leader. The campers have begun to warm up to me because of my actions during the war games, and Frank and Hazel have begun to grow stronger as well."

"If you don't mind my asking, but what is _their_ role in all of this?"

"Simple Octavian. This Prophecy of Seven, it has begun to set itself in motion. Jason, Frank, Hazel, and I are all a part of it, and I suspect that the other three will soon reveal themselves."

"Do you think that the other three are here at camp?" Reyna asked.

"No. Jason was taken by Juno, and hidden, just as I was. Ever since coming here, there's been an instinct that causes me to think of every deity by their Greek names. Jupiter, Zeus. Neptune, Poseidon. Pluto, Hades. And Mar as Ares. I think that, and I'm only theorizing, that there is a camp for the Greek gods, as well as the Romans."

The two Romans in front of him didn't seem surprised. In fact, Octavian looked like he just proved a theory that everyone told him was ludicrous. "It's always been suspected that Greeks were still around, and everything you've said makes sense, my lord."

"Oh good. That clears up a lot of things then. Juno took Jason and sent him to the Greeks, and took me and sent me to the Romans. An exchange program between leaders in order to get both sides to trust each other in an effort to unify us against the rising enemy."

"A plausible theory," Reyna said. "But there is much animosity between Greeks and Romans. If there is a Greek camp, despite Juno's supposed exchange program, there is a distinct possibility that everything will still blow up."

"I know. Which means that we need to get this quest underway ASAP."

"Of course. I'll arrange for the senate to convene tomorrow morning, and we'll get everything rolling smoothly."

"You have my support as well, my lord. With Reyna and I backing you, the senate will bow to whatever you wish."

"Good. Very good. Now, I think I need an early going-away party," the Leviathan said with predatory leer aimed at Reyna. The girl blushed red, and in between her legs began to grow warm at the prospect of more sex.

Reyna arched across the table, and Perseus leaned over her, sliding his hands across her body, while his tongue dominated the demigoddesses mouth. Octavian coughed and tried to excuse himself but Perseus had an evil idea pop into his mind regarding the praetorship, and the future of New Rome.

"Nonsense Octavian. Come, and join us."

"Percy?" Reyna in confusion.

The Leviathan's eyes blazed golden in the dim light of the principia, "Becoming praetor is nothing but a means to an end, a way to earn the respect of the people and the legion. But what is the point in becoming praetor, when I will have to leave Rome in one person's hands again just hours later?"

"My lord, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I and the rest of the Seven will need to depart for Greece in the future, for that is where Gaea will direct most of her forces. I have had an enlightening dream that revealed to me that the Earth Mother's main goal is to destroy the gods at their roots. I. e. Mt. Olympus.

"So, why become praetor, only to leave just soon after my appointment. No, Octavian, you will become the praetor just as you desired, but I will not be leaving this city in the hands of two people who are constantly at each other's throats. I expect you two to behave while I'm gone winning a war, and the best way to do that is for you two to get to know each other better.

"And in order to know of the soul, you must first know of the flesh. Now Octavian, join us."

The augur was still hesitant, so Reyna pushed him over the edge, "What's the matter, Tavy? Not man enough to come get a piece of my ass?" Honestly, she was looking forward to the idea of double penetration.

That did it. Octavian's jaw squared, his back went straight, and his eyes hardened into twin orbs of blue steel. He stalked forward, removing his toga, before undressing himself fully, as did the others in the principia. The augur noticed the lack of panties.

"I've been here before," the Abyssal Lord answered.

Octavian nodded, before he began the pleasurable act of becoming a man.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _One hour later_

 _10:13 P.M._

The three were in an interesting position.

Perseus was on his side, Reyna impaling her tight butt on his seven-inch length, with Octavian on the other side, his penis in Reyna's vagina. The girl's stomach was slightly bloated with all of the stuff inside of it.

"If I'm to become praetor, my lord, what will you become?" Octavian asked softly, so as not to wake the sleeping girl between him and the Leviathan.

"Rome is an empire, Octavian, and empires are ruled by emperors. New Rome may be different than its predecessor, but that is no excuse not to bring back some old traditions."

"My lord, you don't mean—?"

"Yes. You two will be my praetors, and I will be your _emperor_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Camp Half-Blood_

 _1:13 A.M._

It was pitch-black at one o'clock in the morning on Long Island Sound, but Nico didn't care. His Shadow Traveling had taken longer than he had anticipated, but now he was here, right in the middle of his okay-est place in world. The harpies swooped down to get him, but Nico took a deep breath.

"ANNABETH~!"

The harpies fluttered in shock, and lights came on in every cabin as the doors burst open and demigods came rushing out of their bunks, adrenaline burning away their tiredness. Leo, Piper, Jason, and Annabeth were at the forefront of the approaching mob, but that was alright.

Having Shadow Traveled so much, and screaming so loud, Nico pitched forward, but was caught by the daughter of Athena. "Nico! What's going on? Are you alright?"

The son of Hades gave his friend a tired grin, "I found him, Annabeth. I found Percy. He's at the Roman camp, and he's doing just fine."

Annabeth Chase felt the like the sky had been lifted from her shoulders once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Percy's throwing around some power, making friends and allies. Hazel and Frank are growing some back bones, and becoming more confident. Octavian and Reyna will need to come together (figuratively and literally) in order to please their lord.**_

 _ **And now Nico's told the Greeks that Percy is A-Okay, in a sense.**_

 _ **The Leviathan's got some big ambitions, and what's to stop him from fulfilling them, short of some heavy divine interference?**_

 _ **Now…Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	17. The Thickening Plot (Not)

_The Thickening Plot (Not)_

 _ **For those that are curious about how I can update so quickly with so many words: I literally have nothing to do all day, so I have plenty of time to do whatever.**_

 _ **I'm trying to get a job, but the damn people up there can't seem to find the time to pencil me in for an interview, despite how many times I've shown up in person to follow up, and called them.**_

 _ **So yeah, no job and nothing else to do, combined with a mind that's really good at making stuff up, and you get several thousand word chapters just about every other day.**_

 _ **Now let's get to some more badass Perseus!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Leviathan actually tried to get some sleep that night, before the farce of the senate meeting in the morning. It was during that night, that he was reminded of why he didn't sleep much: the dreams he had were always something out of an acid trip.

First there was this faun.

"If you ask me for money, I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck," Perseus said irritably.

The faun balked, "What? Money? Percy, it's me, Grover! Man you look different, but I know it's you. Look, just stay put. Tyson's close to you, and we're trying to get a lock on your location, so don't go anywhere!"

Then he disappeared like an apparition.

"Yeah, ok. Crazy goat people, why can't they just leave me alone, and go graze in a field or something?"

Then there was this girl.

"Percy! Thank the gods!" Why the hell to people keep casually referring to him by a nickname reserved only for those that he liked? But on the other hand, it was _her_. The blonde-haired girl he had seen so many times, but now he had a name for her: Annabeth. "For months and months we thought you were dead! Are you alright? What happened to your eyes?"

Perseus was too busy trying to figure out why his chest was hurting to answer.

Annabeth shook her head, making her blonde curls sway, "It doesn't matter." She began to dissolve, albeit at a much slower pace than Grover. "Just stay put! It'll be easier for Tyson to find you! Don't go anywhere!"

Then she was gone.

Then a moving slideshow began to play. A large canoe being built by some kind of elf-looking kid, Ares or Mars or whatever he wanted to call himself, stalking forward into the surf like an idiot.

Then the scene shifted to the Field of Mars. The Berkeley Hills, somehow repaired after being decapitated, looming above. The grass rippled, and the face of a sleeping female was formed from shadow and terrain. Perseus knew this was Gaea, the one he was supposed to defeat so this war could be over. But striking her in a dream would probably be as effective as throwing a baseball at her irl.

 _So this is the demigod who destroyed my son Kronos. You don't look like much, Perseus Jackson, but you're valuable to me. Come north. Meet Alcyoneus. Juno can play her little games with Greeks and Romans, but in the end, you will be my pawn. You will be the key to the gods' defeat._

The Leviathan's vision turned dark. He stood in a theater-sized version of the camp's headquarters—a principium with walls of ice and freezing mist hanging in the air. The floor was littered with skeletons in Roman armor and Imperial gold weapons encrusted with frost. In the back of the room sat an enormous shadowy figure. His skin glinted of gold and silver, as if he were an automaton like Reyna's dogs. Behind him stood a collection of ruined emblems, tattered banners, and a large golden eagle on a staff of iron.

The giant's voice boomed in the vast chamber. **"This will be fun, son of Neptune. It's been eons since I broke a demigod of your caliber. I await you atop the ice."**

Perseus was already pissed off at what the Earth-Bitch said, and now the walking treasury wanted to show off his balls. News flash, there wasn't anyone that had bigger balls than the Purple Butcher.

Before the dream could end, the Leviathan flew forward into Alcyoneus' face, and destroyed it with a Yoki-enhanced haymaker.

The Lord of the Abyss woke up that morning irritated and disgruntled due to Earth-Bitch's words. If we were talking chess here, then he wasn't no damn pawn, he was the whole fucking board! He was not in the mood to deal with political bullshit today, so if the senate decided to get cute with him, ho-oh-oh-oh…

Caesar's assassination would be topped.

He looked around to see that those in in the barracks were scrambling around, getting ready for the day. Dakota was getting lessons on how to put on a toga from a Lar.

"It's like watching ants scurry around…"

Frank's head popped into existence from the bottom bunk. "They're getting ready for a quick breakfast, before we all go to the senate meeting."

"I'm not wearing a bedsheet to a meeting."

Frank snorted, "Toga's are only for the senators. Ten of them are elected yearly, but you have to be here five years to qualify." Perseus wondered how the big guy would react if he told him about his plan to become emperor. It would probably be really comical, but would probably end with hostility.

On their way to breakfast, the Leviathan began to probe at Frank's borders, trying to get a feel of the son of Mars.

"How do you feel about the quest?"

"I'm nervous. I mean, Alaska? Gaea's eldest son? Freeing Thanatos? It just seems like so much, and there's also the thing about the giant army that's approaching."

Perseus played the caring friend card. He put his hand on Frank's shoulder, "You worry too much, man. Everything will play out nice and smooth, you'll see." His grin was infectious, and Frank found himself Inspired by his friend's words.

"Um, about last night…how did you, you know…?"

"Cut down a fort and the hills behind by swinging a sword that should be too heavy to wield properly?"

Frank blinked, "Yeah…"

"It's all in the wrist." At the disbelieving look Perseus got, he said, "Just kidding, but I promise I'll tell you later, when there aren't as many listening ears."

Frank nodded. Whatever power his friend had, it must have been something he didn't like talking about.

Breakfast went about as swell as you could imagine. Hazel and Frank sat on opposite sides of Perseus, and whispers were abounding about last night. The Leviathan hid a smirk whenever he heard someone speak ill of him, but another person rose to his defense.

It seemed that the plan was going along smoothly.

Reyna stood up and announced that it was time for the senate meeting. She caught Perseus' eye, as did Octavian, and the three nodded to each other. The augur looked different than what he had been. Instead of the sly smile, the superior glint in his eye, and his kiss-up body posture, his jaw was strong, his eye gleamed with dignity, and he walked like a man worthy of being the First Cohort centurion, and augur of New Rome.

Perhaps having sex with Reyna last night was enough to get Octavian to start acting like the powerful political speaker he was supposed to be, instead of the groveling scarecrow-esque nut with a forked tongue.

Frank took a deep breath as he and his friends stood up to leave. His eyes hardened, and he mentally outfitted himself with the confidence and starch befitting a son of war. While he hated it with a burning passion (his mother died in war, and he was the son of its master?), he had accepted last night that there was nothing he could do about it, and resolved himself that he would use his powers to bring honor to his family.

Hazel calmed her nerves, reassured by the fact that her cousin had the power to level the continent, so a bunch of politicians in bedsheets were nothing. There was also the fact that Perseus seemed to have some type of connection with Reyna, and a definite control over Octavian, so there was no fear of being blackmailed anymore. Beyond that though, last night, during the war games, something in Hazel had changed.

Whether it was good or bad had yet to be decided, but gone was the timid girl afraid of bullies, or worried about trying fit in with others. She was a daughter of Pluto; all the riches in the earth were hers to command, and anyone that incurred her wrath would meet with the business end of her spatha. She wasn't going to take crap from anyone anymore.

Perseus was right. Power came from lineage, and hers was a powerful one.

Reyna and Octavian lead the procession to the city itself, and Perseus found it funny how all of the senators kept screwing with their togas. When he was emperor, he was going to wear that thing, and he was going to make it look good.

"You didn't bring any weapons, did you?" Hazel asked.

Perseus cocked a brow, and pointed at his necklace with his pendant/emblem on it. "Do you think I would take this off?"

"Well, we're approaching the Pomerian Line," Frank said. "The city limits. Inside is a sacred 'safe zone.' Legions can't march through. No weapons allowed. It's so senate meetings don't get bloody."

"Right. What about the kitchen knives, ceremonial swords, and general blunt-force objects in the city?"

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought. If you wanted to make a red mess inside, you could very easily do that."

Perseus, Frank, and Hazel approached the statue of the god of boundaries, Terminus. "Ah, a new recruit, eh? I don't see a probatio tablet, but that's nothing to fuss over. Hm, a weapon around your neck, I see. Take it out, please!"

The Leviathan wasn't too keen and parting with his sword, but causing a scene right now was not in his interest. He reached up and pulled on his necklace, making it elongate into its true, intimidating form.

"Good gods, boy! How can you lift that thing?"

"Grit, spit, and a whole lot of push-ups."

"Yes, well, no matter. Julia! Bring the tray!" Terminus said loudly. Perseus had wondered who the ankle-biter hiding around the statue was, and now he had his answer. Julia was a young girl of about six, with her blonde hair in pigtails, a pink dress, and an impish smile that showed her missing two missing teeth. Perseus could tell that his younger self and this kid would've gotten along smashingly.

"Julia! Darn it, where did that girl go?" Terminus glanced behind him, and she scurried in the in the other direction. Terminus looked the other way, and Julia squealed in delight at being found. "There you are. Front and center. And bring the tray, please," said the talking statue.

Julia scrambled about, brushing off her dress and presenting a tray to Perseus. She didn't seem all that surprised about the six-foot long death stick in the older boy's hand, though.

The Leviathan, while not really caring for Julia herself, felt that it would detrimental to his cause if he killed her by just dropping his claymore onto the tray. It wasn't exactly a light-weighted weapon. He glanced at Terminus, and the god got the message.

"Oh don't worry. Your sword and Julia will be fine. Trust me."

Perseus wasn't reassured, but he dropped his claymore onto the tray regardless. Surprisingly, instead of instantly dropping the girl and crushing her hands like an acorn under a hammer, the massive sword flashed into its necklace form, becoming about as heavy as anything else that was the tray.

"There now. You can pick it up on the way out. Also, a few rules…"

Perseus tuned out the rest. He was way more concerned about the fact that this god had some type of ability to transform his weapon back into its hidden state. If Terminus could do that, what else could he do?

Could he negate the Leviathan's Yoki? Could he force Perseus to go in and out of his Awakened Form at will? Could he kill anything inside his boundaries on a whim? This minor Roman god could present such a massive danger to every one of the First Number 1's plans, that everything could be ruined before it even began!

"Sure thing Terminus. I'll go get that tape measure as soon as possible," Perseus without any inflection.

"Good. See to it, boy. You may all pass."

The trio entered the city limits, and Perseus took a breath to calm himself. He was overreacting. That sword-to-pendant trick was probably just a divine transformation thing. Nothing that could be used against him to any effect. Yes, the Abyssal Lord was perfectly fine. He was far stronger than Terminus, and his Yoki outstripped the god's divine power.

If Terminus tried anything, Perseus would make him fade from this earth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The senate hall was designed like a college lecture hall. Half circle, tiered seats overlooking a dais with a podium and two chairs behind it. Frank and his friend sat on the bottom of the left row, with the rest of the senators taking up what was left. Nico di Angelo was nowhere to be found. Which was good, considering Perseus was going to rip the little bastard's head off, before shoving it up the corpse's anus, for just leaving like he did.

Ass-clown.

The upper rows were filled with people Perseus didn't care to look at, but he did take note of Octavian standing in front, looking entirely out of place with his serious expression and stuffed animal. Perseus was going to toss that out the window and go back to actual animals when he was in charge.

Reyna stepped up to the podium, silencing all conversation. "Right, this is an emergency meeting, so formalities will have to be skipped."

"But I love formalities!" a ghost exclaimed. He was promptly ignored.

"We are not here to vote on the quest itself, nor are we here to vote on Frank's companions. This quest was issued by Mars Ultor, and we will obey his wishes." Reyna said authoritatively.

"All three from the Fifth Cohort?" Called Hank from the Third Cohort. "That's not fair."

"And not smart," said Larry. "We _know_ the Fifth will mess up. They should take somebody good."

Dakota bolted upright, the son of Bacchus spilling Kool-Aid, but his arguments were cut off by the sound of booming laughter coming from the far end of the left row.

Perseus stood up, a grin on his face that spoke volumes of how monumentally screwed Hank and Larry were.

"Not fair you say? My apologies, but I don't recall _fairness_ being in the description of what gods decree. Mar Ultor himself descended upon the battlefield last night and personally appointed his own son to lead this quest, and myself to be a part of it. He also gave Frank the freedom to choose the third member at his will. So if you wish to argue the judgement of the god of war, please, continue speaking.

"As for somebody _good_ , in your own words, I distinctly recall Frank, Hazel, and myself leading all three cohorts into battle last night against the First and Second, and subsequently dominating. I also remember none of the centurions arguing about _my_ orders last night either. So keep your mouth shut the next time you get jealous of you betters, son, or I'll come over there and show you just how high on the totem pole you really are."

Each syllable came from the back of the Abyssal Lord's throat, creating a commanding baritone that demanded the ears of those present, and left no room for retaliation. Perseus sat back down, and nodded to the praetor.

Reyna broke the silence, "Thank you, Perseus. Now, as quest leader, Frank has chosen Perseus Jackson and Hazel Levesque as his quest mates." Anyone that had the balls to oppose this were taken out just a few seconds ago by the chilling monologue of the Marquis of Murder.

"I understand that this is unorthodox, but we must obey the wishes of Mars Ultor. However, we have an opportunity to fix any complaints about leadership." Reyna clapped her hands, and Octavian came forward after putting down his knife and stuffed animal.

"Frank Zhang, please step forward."

Frank raised his chin, and steeled his eyes. He stood up and walked forward with a powerful gait.

"It is my pleasure to award you the Mural Crown for being the first over the walls in siege warfare," Octavian handed him a bronze badge in the shape of a laurel wreath, "and to promote you to the rank of centurion."

The senate exploded in protest, but Octavian was having none of that, not in the presence of the Abyssal Lord.

"Silence!" Octavian thundered over the cacophony of bullshit. "Praetor Reyna realizes that no one below the rank of centurion may lead a quest, so she has come up with a compromise to please the masses and comply with the wishes of Mars Ultor himself. This also for the best, because there is an opening for centurion." The augur nodded to Reyna.

"One of our officers, also a senator, has decided to step down. After ten years in the legion she will retire and attend college in the city. Gwen of the Fifth Cohort, we thank you for your service.

"As praetor," Reyna continued, "I have the right to replace officers. I admit it's unusual for a camper on probatio to rise directly to the rank of centurion, but I think we can agree…last night was unusual. Frank Zhang, your ID, please."

Frank removed the lead tablet from around his neck and handed it to Octavian. "Your arm," Octavian said. Frank held up his forearm. Octavian raised his hands to the heavens. "We accept Frank Zhang, Son of Mars, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for his first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"

"I do," Frank said strongly, and Hazel beamed.

The senators shouted, " _Senatus Populusque Romanus!_ "

Fire blazed on Frank's arm, and his eyebrows crinkled in surprise. When the smoke cleared, a tattoo of SPQR, crossed spears, and a single bar signifying one year of service had been forever burned onto the son of Mars's forearm.

"You may sit down," Octavian intoned. He glanced at Perseus, who nodded in satisfaction. "Now then," Reyna said. "We can discuss the quest itself. Centurion Zhang, do you have a plan?"

Centurion Zhang. Now that had a funny ring to it. Frank had, never in his life, expected to be called by a title such as that. It felt, good, nice, _appropriate_ for a son of Mars such as himself to be noted as Centurion. He felt that his mother would be proud of him. Unfortunately, Frank _did not_ have any actual plan in mind, so he went with prior knowledge, "Go to Alaska, find Thanatos, free him, and get back here in time for dinner."

There were some chuckles at the simplistic answer, Reyna smirking in good nature, and Octavian coughing into his fist, "We typically call something like that a summary."

Frank shrugged, "Well, considering all we have to go on is that Thanatos is chained somewhere in Alaska, there's not much that we _can_ plan. So far, all I got, all I think anyone has, is that we get to Alaska as fast as possible, and improvise the hell out it from there."

Reyna nodded, "Very well then. Nothing remains except voting on what support we can give the quest—transportation, money, magic, weapons."

She glanced at Octavian, and then they both glanced at Perseus. The Leviathan gave them a nod, his message clear: do your thing.

"Praetor, if I may," Octavian started, and continued when Reyna nodded waved her hand, "Mars himself has ordered this quest. An unkillable army marches its way here as we speak. Our best hope for survival is if these three demigods can get to Alaska and free Death quickly. Sadly, the distance between here and America's largest state is quite large, and land travel, because of the waking Gaea, is not a good idea.

"I propose that we give them the best items and equipment that we have to offer, so that their chances of success and survival are greatly increased. For transportation, a plane chartered for Anchorage is what I think would be most appropriate."

For some reason, the idea of flying greatly worried Perseus, and he cleared his throat, "I greatly appreciate your help, Centurion Octavian, but I doubt Lord Lightning Bolt-" thunder rumbled, despite the clear sky- "sorry, Lord Jupiter, would be too accepting of a son of Neptune and daughter of Pluto invading his domain, despite our righteous cause. A boat sounds best, honestly."

Octavian and Reyna glanced at each other, their faces pale for a moment. What was that about? Perseus thought. Surely, an institution like this had a decent water craft, right?

Right?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, at the Alameda docks in San Francisco, Perseus, Hazel, and Frank looked at their boat. The Senate meeting had gone off without a hitch, and the spirits of the campers were high, all of them wishing the questers good luck and as safe a trip as possible. Frank and Hazel were decked out in the best Imperial Gold the legion had to offer; breast plates, grieves, pauldrons, vambraces, helmets, fresh-off-the-line shields, swords, pilum, and gladii, with Hazel's spatha having gone through a quick tune up before the quest.

Perseus had denied any equipment, confident in just his sword. He did have the magic backpack though. Inside of it was a month's worth of nectar, ambrosia, unicorn drought, several thousand denarii and USD, as well as Canadian dollars, medical supplies ranging from band aids to a complete set of surgical equipment, several changes of clothes for both males and females, complete with clean underwear, and just about everything else you would expect in a magical travel bag gifted from the New Roman military.

There was just teeny little problem.

"Behold," Frank declared in a voice befitting a public speaker, "the mighty Roman navy."

"This is a fucking _canoe,'"_ Perseus said blandly. He was not driving this damn thing all the way up to Alaska. He looked at a map, he had no faith that this floating turdwould get them anywhere near the Canadian border. He looked around the docks, searching for a suitable aquatic ride, when he heard the sound of a motor roar to life.

Turning around, he saw a sight that made him grin like the Cheshire Cat. A yacht, of typical design, was about to be motored out to the open ocean. Aboard the admittedly sleek ship, was a man, a woman, and three children, two girls that looked between 12 and 15, and a little boy that was probably 9.

A loving, rich family it would seem.

"Percy, don't," Hazel pleaded. Frank was also eyeing the yacht, but his was face looked a little green at the thought of killing innocents.

"One, we need that boat more than they do. Two, if we can't get to Alaska in due time, New Rome will be overrun. Three, if Gaea wins that battle, it will be easier for her to win more from then on. And finally, what good will having a beautiful ship like that be, if you're being hunted to extinction and everything on the planet has some deity watching over it?"

Hazel sighed, not able to find a viable argument. "Just…make it quick or something, please."

A brow was raised, "What makes you think I was going to kill them?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The family back at the docks was currently enjoying a peaceful nap under the sun.

As Perseus instinctively drove his new yacht up the West Coast at a steady speed of 40 knots, heading for the Golden Gate Bridge. He glanced to his right and saw an old homeless man lounging with a bunch of sea lions. The old guy pointed at the Leviathan and mouthed what looked like _Don't even think about._

Perseus gave him the bird.

Strange though. He had memories of that man. His disgusting smell, his slippery tendencies, something to do with the sea, and…something about a question? But what was the guy's name? Nereid? Nuclear? It was something with an 'N.'

Perseus shrugged and continued forward.

They passed Stinson Beach, and the mountain that was just beyond. The Wide Smile knew that mountain…Mt. Tam it was called, but he kept calling it a different name: Mt. Othrys. He had been there…there was girl with silver eyes, not unlike his own left eye, a girl that got stabbed, some tomboy with a spear, a man with a scar under his eye, and Annabeth. There was also something about the sky, and how it wanted to meet the earth.

What, in the _hell_ , did he _do_ with his life!?

"Hazel?" Frank said worriedly from below, in the luxury cabin. Perseus left the wheel, and popped his down over the driver's deck, "Something wrong?"

Hazel was passed out, and Frank was poking her, "She said she was seasick, and then she just passed out."

"Oh, that's nothing to worry to about. It's all natural."

"All natural!?"

"Yes, Frank, all natural. It's a side effect from where she's from."

The newest centurion blinked, "Where is she from?"

"She'll tell you when she wakes up…probably. Maybe. How good is your relationship, again?"

"Uh…I think's it's pretty strong," Frank said in an unsure manner.

Perseus grinned, "Don't worry, man. She's as head over heels for you, as you are for her."

Frank spluttered, and the Leviathan laughed, leaving the son of Mars to his raging hormones.

Back on top and at the wheel, with Hazel lost in her past and Frank thinking about life, Perseus could now review everything. His memories were breaking through; he remembered bits and pieces of Grover Underwood. He remembered the one called Tyson, and how they were brothers of some sort. That was a strange feeling. Thinking harder about Mt. Othrys, the haze was beginning to fade, revealing names: Zoё Nightshade, Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan, Atlas, and the goddess Artemis.

Still, there were many gaps, and pieces that didn't fit. Who was Grover to him? How was Tyson his brother? Who were any of the people he remembered from Othrys, and what was he doing on that mountain anyway?

The Leviathan's gaze turned dark. He would be patient. He would always be patient. A hundred years of life had taught the former Claymore many things about life, and battle.

Oh would you look at that. Out of gas.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He pulled his yacht up to the to the beach of some place called Mendocino, using his water power to keep from damaging anything. He dropped down to the cabin, startling Frank…who was holding Hazel close to him.

"I'm gonna go into town and see if I can't find some gas. Try not to die without me around, kay?" Frank couldn't respond before Perseus was gone in a burst of speed. The centurion's head spun.

Well, based on what the author has seen on Google Images, Mendocino, California was a small, quaint little town built on top of a peninsula, and looked like it was the basis of Amity Island. It didn't take Perseus long to find a convenience store, but since it was past eleven o'clock at night, the damn place was closed. And tanks of gas could be seen on the shelves.

Now here was the problem: the Leviathan could easily break into this store, and make off with gas before a fly's wing could beat, but he didn't want to deal with the local law enforcement happening upon him refueling his yacht, because he would kill them, and that would raise all sorts of unwanted attention.

He didn't have inherent stealth knowledge built into his DNA, nor was he a highly-trained espionage operative. He didn't do finesse, he did break down the wall and destroy everything on the other side.

However, the Leviathan did have the power to alter his body shape, size, and mass at will. He spent a decade in Rabona just screwing around with that ability, becoming everything from a horsefly to a monk.

Perseus altered the shape of his finger, slipping it into the key hole. He altered it again, making it fit the lock, and he opened the glass door to the store. He grabbed a few cans of gas, walked out, locked the door back, and blurred to his yacht in under ten seconds.

Another thing he found that was problematic, was that Frank had pulled Hazel ashore, and was vigorously shaking her. Perseus rolled his heterochromic eyes, walked over to the pair, leaned over Hazel's face…

" **Wakeup, bitch!"**

That did the trick.

The daughter of Pluto bolted awake, gasping for breath.

"Sweet. You two bond, I'm gonna go refill the tank." Perseus walked through the surf and hopped into the yacht's cabin. He found where the gas tank was, unscrewed the lid, and began to pour in the fuel. The smell was almost sickening to the Leviathan's heightened senses. The smell was so bad, that Perseus had to consciously negate his nose so he didn't puke all over the nice, wooden floors.

When he was done refilling the tanks, he hopped to the steering wheel, and turned the key slightly, not enough to turn on the motors, but enough to activate the gauges. All full.

Perseus looked up…and audibly groaned when he saw Frank doing some type of interpretive dance while Hazel was being dragged off by what looked to be _sentient grass_.

What the hell was wrong with this place?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus and Frank found Hazel in the middle of a field, standing on top of a rock, about to be overrun by demon babies.

"Frank, am I hallucinating?"

"If you are, then I am too."

"You want first shot?"

An arrow was notched, "Yep."

"Knock yourself out."

The arrow flew, and a baby exploded into Chex mix.

Then Perseus and Frank dove into the fray while the shock was still present. Seriously though, what were these things? Their skin was greenish, they had brittle tusks, canines for teeth, pure-green eyes, hair that looked like that stuff on ears of corn, and they exploded into grains and/or cereals when killed. Within seconds, the trio was surrounded by piles of fiber.

When they started to reform, Perseus reached into his bag and pulled out a lighter. "If you even think about making me have to dice you all up again, I will set this field on fire and laugh at your panic. But by all means, punks, make my day." The _karpoi_ scattered into the wind.

"Well that was fun, but let's get to the top of that rock. I can sense a metric fuck-ton of schist on the other side."

Frank and Hazel blinked, but joined their friend on top of the giant rock, and their jaws went slack. Perseus grinned like a miner that just found gold. Beneath them, an army of monsters marched south. Centaurs with bull horns, six-armed Earthborn, battalions of ten-foot tall Cyclops, all of them clad in a crappy mix-n-mash of armor and equipment. Six Cyclops were pulling a siege tower taller than a two-story house, a massive scorpion ballista on top.

Perseus breathed in the night hair, taking in nature for the first time. The dark sky was devoid of clouds, so the stairs shined brilliantly, and the moon bathed the earth with its pale glow. The field dropped into a shallow ravine, where a country road wound north and south. On the opposite side of the road, grassy hills stretched to the horizon, empty of civilization except for one darkened convenience store at the top of the nearest rise.

Perseus' grin threatened to split his cheeks open when he saw the giant.

He was taller than the siege tower—thirty feet, at least—with scaly reptilian legs like a Komodo dragon from the waist down and green-blue armor from the waist up. His breastplate was shaped like rows of hungry monstrous faces; their mouths open as if demanding food. His face was human, but his hair was wild and green, like a mop of seaweed. As he turned his head from side to side, snakes dropped from his dreadlocks. He was armed with a massive trident and a weighted net.

Polybotes. The Bane of Neptune…or Poseidon.

The Leviathan's body hungered for battle. Weeks of not having anyone to properly challenge him had created a sense of withdrawal that needed to be quenched, and there beneath was an army many times the size of his own…yet far weaker. Still, the opportunity to spill gallons of blood made the Abyssal Lord cackle in a very Alucard-like manner.

He stood up, and was about kick some ass, when Frank grabbed his ankle, "What on earth do you think you're doing, dude?"

Heterochromic eyes gleamed in the dark, "I'm going to commit genocide."

Frank was so stunned by the answer that his grip on his friend's ankle slackened, just like he thought of Perseus' sanity. "Don't worry, Frank," Hazel said steadily. "He knows what he's doing; he's buying the legion some time." Frank's horrified visage almost made Hazel pull him into a hug. "By committing suicide!?" he whispered/yelled.

"No. Just watch. We're in for a show, tonight, Frank."

Perseus strolled down the hill, whistling a tune as he went. As he approached the monster army, that somehow hadn't sensed his presence yet, he directed a sort-of prayer to ground he was treading upon.

' _I hope you're watching, Earth-bitch, because I'm about tear apart the landscape.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Cliffhangers! Yay! Don't worry, though, the next chapter will probably be out sometime within 24 hours.**_

 _ **So, quick recap. Perseus controls Octavian and Reyna, who control the senate, which means he controls the senate. He stole a yacht from a rich family of nondescripts without killing them, for whatever reason. And now he's about to make mincemeat out of an army. Who's ready for that carnage!?**_

 _ **As usual, Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	18. An Army, a Seer, and Some Dykes

_An Army, a Seer, and Some Dykes_

 _ **Told you it'd be out quickly.**_

 _ **Lots and lots of people looking forward to the upcoming ass-whooping, so I hope I don't disappoint. Based on the chapter name, I'm sure you can guess what this one will be about, but since I hate surprises:**_

 _ **We shall be zooming through the rest of the**_ _ **Son of Neptune**_ _ **in my own bastardized version of the story.**_

 _ **Expect Perseus not to deal with half of any of this book's bullshit, and expect next chapter to be about Alcyoneus, and the Battle of Tuna.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Claymore or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

How best to do this? Perseus wondered to himself.

Charge in, sword swinging? Have some witty banter with Polybotes? Jump in the middle of them? Use his tendrils and rip everyone to pieces? The Leviathan shivered in abject delight. He was positively _throbbing_ at the battle that was to come in just a few seconds.

He shrugged off his magic backpack and unzipped his vest, letting them both fall to the ground; it wouldn't do for either one to get damaged in the fight.

The Abyssal Lord let some of his Yoki leak out, and it had the effect of telling Jews that there was a penny inside the car. The monster army paused in synchronization, and slowly turned their heads towards the bare-chested Perseus. Before any monster could make a move, the Bane of Poseidon let out a thunderous bark of laughter.

" **Well, well. I thought I sensed the presence of a Sea Spawn nearby, but I never imagined it would be** _ **the**_ **Sea Spawn. Ladies and gentlemen, we're in luck! Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, has come to his death!"** The monsters all roared with laughter.

Perseus just smirked. He grabbed his pendant, and the size of his claymore promptly shut everyone up. "Right then, to make things simple, everyone here has two options: you can fight, and all of you will die…or you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die. Y'all got five seconds to come to consensus before I start removing heads."

Polybotes sneered, **"Stand back. I'll deal with this slime,** _ **myself**_ **."**

The army parted like the Red Sea did for Moses as the giant stalked forward, basilisks falling from his hair and burning the grass. His net dragged across the dirt, and his trident made a deep whooshing sound as he twirled it through the air. Polybotes grunted, before he chunked his net at the former Claymore.

Perseus' bicolored hair hid his eyes, but not his mad grin. His sword-hand twitched, and there was a bright flash of hundreds of lines crisscrossing over the flying net…before it exploded into tiny strands that fell harmlessly around the 'teenager.'

The army gawked at what they just witnessed, and Polybotes barely brought the shaft of his trident up to act as a shield in time, to block the sword of his much smaller opponent. The giant skidded back across the dirt, his massive body being pushed around by the superior strength of the Leviathan. Sparks were flying from where the two weapons were clashing.

Perseus smirked, and gave a final push, making the giant fly backwards into the convenience store, where he slammed into a rainbow colored energy barrier. The smirk widened. If it took a god and demigod working together to kill a giant, then both pieces of the equation were now present.

Polybotes was left in a daze from the shock factor of Perseus' monstrous strength, and the energy he just slammed into, so he was left to recover while the Purple Butcher turned his attention to the surrounding army.

He got that epitaph from how he could effortlessly slaughter hordes of Yoma, bathing himself in purple blood, and decorating the landscape with entrails and corpses. Now it seemed he was about to become the Golden Butcher, because he was about to be swimming through golden monster dust.

With a savage grin, Daddy went to work.

The Abyssal Lord whipped his sword about, ripping massive fissures through the earth. The transcendental force behind the swings created super-pressurized blasts of air that blew monsters apart like tissue paper, the resulting shockwaves blowing the dust away and scattering the essences.

Perseus blurred through a crowd of Earthborn, his sword visibly tearing through the air as he slashed wildly. He bisected the last two in his way, before spinning around and swinging, ripping up the earth and blowing away the dust.

He side-stepped to avoid the overhead club of a female Cyclops, jumped onto her meaty arms, and blew her head apart with a single punch. The Cyclopes behind her roared in outrage, before multiple horizontal lines appeared across their bodies, and they erupted into golden dust. That too was blown away by a shockwave.

Perseus laughed and leapt into the air, rapidly spinning in way that had his claymore slicing apart monsters like a laser through warm butter. He landed in front of the siege tower, and butchered the Cyclops that were yoked to it like oxen. His Yoki glowed around him as lifted the tower from its base with a growl, before he _threw_ the entire thing at the recovering Polybotes.

The giant managed to roll out of the way before the tower exploded against the rainbow barrier.

A contingent of Earthborn charged at Perseus from all sides, but their efforts were fruitless. The first one was cut down swiftly, the second and third were avoided, the fourth was decapitated, the second and third were also decapitated because they couldn't find Perseus. Five was vertically bisected from behind, six had a hand erupt from his chest before his body exploded with a pulse of Yoki, seven roared and charged, but the top half of his skull was suddenly removed, eight and nine exploded into tiny pieces, and ten felt something bounce off his back like a springboard, so he looked up, widened his eyes in shock at the airborne Sea spawn, covered his with all six of his arms, and was cut in half with his arms falling to the ground.

In less than three seconds, ten Earthborn had cut apart like paper snowflakes.

In less than five minutes, an army of several hundred, was reduced to a few dozens.

In less than ten seconds, a giant had basically been singlehandedly defeated by one person.

Perseus took the brief break in the action to survey the battlefield. What was once a beautiful little ravine in a hilly land, was now an overturned boulder quarry with clouds of golden dust hovering everywhere, and blowing away in the wind. The hill covering the horizon had been smashed and slashed into chunks of earth. The siege tower, once tall and proud, was now a pile of splinters at the foot of an out-of-place store protected by a force field.

He ducked and did a 360-degree spin, slicing apart the centaur who tried to sneak up on him. With that out of the way, it was easy pickings for Perseus. He blurred in front of monster after monster, decapitating, eviscerating, lacerating, punching, kicking, and blowing apart the landscape with nothing but brute strength and raw power.

The already destroyed landscape, became even more destroyed by even more shockwaves, and monster essence was scattered across the fields. Perseus knew that they would all reform eventually, but not right now.

The last monster alive, a Cyclops, begged for mercy while on his knees. The Leviathan cocked his head to the side, before he plunged his hand into the monster's head, and ripped out its only eye, before shoving his fist back into the Cyclops's head, and blew it apart with blunt force.

Meanwhile, with Polybotes. The giant couldn't believe what he was watching. A single, lowly demigod was _obliterating_ his entire army. It wasn't possible. It wasn't real. It was ludicrous. A _god_ couldn't have done this much damage without taking a few hits or nicks, but Perseus remained entirely unharmed. And there was the fact that the demigod _picked up and threw the siege tower like it was a fucking ball._

Not even Heracles was strong enough to take this entire army out.

Just what in the Hades _is_ Perseus Jackson?

The Bane of Poseidon began to sweat when that all 900 of his monsters were now dead, and the monster responsible was now looking at him like a velociraptor looked at people that stole its eggs. So the giant did the one thing he thought would get through this alive: he prayed to his mommy.

Perseus laughed wildly when Polybotes was engulfed in a pillar of golden light that came from the earth. He could sense the giant's power increasing, and he almost climaxed in his pants at the thought of _finally_ having a decent fight.

The light faded, and the Bane of Poseidon was now far different in appearance. Now he was eight feet tall, his draconian legs streamlined and quadruped in shape. His torso was adorned with a number of open, animal-like mouths. His muscle mass had decreased, becoming tighter, slimmer, and far more defined. He looked built for speed, but had an immeasurable amount of physical strength as well. His once seaweed-looking hair now looked like a mass of thin, jade spikes that curved down to the small of his back. His ears were sharply pointed, and fangs jutted from his upper lip.

His trident was now smaller, but looked no-less dangerous.

Up on the hill, hidden on top of their schist, Frank and Hazel were both making conscious efforts not to schist in their pants. The auras they were both feeling were on an unbelievable scale. They thought that Juno and Mars felt strong, well, those two could learn something from Perseus and Polybotes.

The Leviathan clapped his hands, which was an interesting thing with his sword still in hand. "Now that's more like it. I was highly disappointed with our first bout. For someone born to oppose a god, you were horribly weak. But now, I feel like you might actually make me try."

Polybotes growled, his eyes solid, glowing orbs of jade green, **"Arrogant bastard. I'll show you what real power is!"** The mouths on his torso began to glow, before blasts of divine energy fired from the mouths. Perseus leapt backward and avoided the subsequent explosion.

"That's the way of a true A-list monster! At last, I've found a suitable creature to battle!" Perseus cackled madly as the sky suddenly lit up with flashes of lightning. "Now, what technique should I use to send you to a purgatory of eternal pain and torment!?" Perseus asked, his right eye narrowed with his left eye impossibly wide.

Polybotes snarled, **"I will see you grovel before me in disgrace! I will consume your flesh and soul, and you will serve Gaea for eternity!"**

The giant's body was consumed in jade light, just as thunder shook the ravine. The energy construct that Polybotes had turned into streaked forward like an angry serpent. The Serpent opened its mouth to consume Perseus, but the Abyssal Lord cackled and caught the Serpent's jaws, being pushed back across the dirt by the power of his opponent.

Perseus laughed even louder when the Serpent's throat began to glow with energy, before a continuous beam flew forward. The diamond-hard body of the Leviathan easily shrugged off the beam. "Is this all you've got!? Even after praying to your dried up whore of a mother, is this really all the power you can muster!?"

The two monsters separated, with Polybotes reforming twenty yards away and the burns on the Wide Smile's body already fading to reveal unblemished skin. Polybotes was so enraged that he couldn't speak, and Perseus found this sudden power up to be exceedingly hilarious.

"They say that it takes a god and demigod working together in order to beat you. Let's test, that theory, shall we?" The Leviathan was suddenly gone, and Polybotes' eyes darted around frantically. Perseus reappeared in front of the giant, and weapons clashed in a crater-inducing shockwave.

Claymore and trident slammed against each other again and again, each blow further indenting upon the earth. Blast waves generated by the clashes made the slowly reforming monster dust get blown away even further. The two monsters hit a deadlock, and the metal of their weapons began to glow red-hot from the force behind which they were pressed with.

"I'll admit, you got some strength in those arms of yours, but you're missing a key component in the long list of things required to fight me."

" **And what would that be?"**

A mad grin, "SPEED!"

Perseus vanished, and Polybotes was suddenly at the center of a silver light show, hundreds of thin lines flickering out and being replaced instantly. Perseus materialized behind the giant as the light show stopped, and the Bane of Poseidon exploded into tiny chunks of flesh.

"Heh. You can have all the strength in the world, but it doesn't mean anything against an opponent you can't hit." Perseus blinked, however, when the golden bloody mess that was his opponent reformed itself. "Now you're just a nuisance."

The mouths on Polybotes' torso began glowing again, and heterochromic eyes were rolled. A jade beam of energy was fired, and the Leviathan let it hit him. Instead of exploding, the beam broke apart into several smaller beams that curved around their target's body, with the Duke of Death himself calmly strolling forward through the divine power.

Polybotes was blinding by his own attack, due to its radiance, so he was highly surprised when a claymore was suddenly piercing his heart. The beam was cut off, and Perseus punched the giant off of his sword and into the rainbow barrier.

Polybotes' wound instantly healed, but the Abyssal Lord was in front of the giant, his eyes glowing gold, and his pupils slit. Polybotes raised up, only to have a barrage of bone-shattering punches laid upon his massive skull. His jade hair was shattered like glass, and then there was nothing protecting him from being grinded against the energy of Iris, Goddess of Rainbows.

Perseus cut off the giant's arms, pinned the giant's left leg to the ground, and grabbed the giant's head, and then slammed the massive cranium against the barrier with everything that he had. Polybotes' skull was sheared into oblivion, and his body dispersed into golden dust that was blasted away with a swipe of the arm.

Perseus sat back with a satisfied smile on his face. That was tubular, dudes. If Polybotes had been faster, that battle would've been much more enjoyable. Alas, the Bane of Poseidon had no durability to speak of, and definitely no speed, and regeneration just would've been annoying to deal with, so the Wide Smile just decided to end it quickly before something else could happen.

"Oi, you two! There on the hill, get your asses down here. I think the goddess inside will help further the plot."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Iris, did, in fact, further the plot. She was scared out of her wits at being in the presence of Perseus, and was really helpful in pointing the quest in the right direction. That direction being Portland, Oregon, to find the seer, Phineas, who would know the location of where Alcyoneus was.

She also gave Frank a history lesson on his family. Fun times.

Another thing that happened was a heart-to-heart explanation time aboard the yacht. Hazel told Frank about her life in the 1940s and how she raised Alcyoneus. Perseus told Frank about his life, too, to no small degree of shock and surprise. After Hazel helped Frank cope with the fact that their friend was basically a god, the son of Mars felt compelled to tell his own secret: his life was tied to a magic stick.

He gave it to Hazel for her to protect as a sign of trust…and an 'I-love-you-confession.' The daughter of Pluto initially refused, but Perseus displayed that his skills included matchmaking, and whipped Levesque's ass in gear.

Sammy Valdez was dead. It was time to move on. Frank was there and waiting, it just a matter of accepting the open arms.

Hazel did so with a teary smile.

So here the quest was, in a parking lot swarming with food trucks, following the sound of some man screaming at chickens. In the center of the lot, behind the convoy of trucks, was an old man in a bathrobe and pink bunny slippers, swinging a weed whacker at the demonic love children of chickens and girls.

"Found Phineas." Perseus analyzed. "And I'm going to kill him."

Before Frank or Hazel could even attempt to stop the Leviathan (not that they could do anything even remotely successful), he was in front of Phineas, and the seer broke his weed whacker over Perseus' face. Granted, the man was blind and couldn't sense auras, technically speaking, but that did not do anything to improve the Abyssal Lord's displeasure.

The Harpies, sensing the hostility in the air, fluttered away.

"Ah! Demigods, I can always smell demigods. A son of Mars…a daughter of Pluto…and a son of Neptune! I'm also a son of Neptune, you know."

Perseus' hand closed around the neck of the seer, and lifted him off the ground. "Right then. Typically, I'm willing to work out a deal, play nice, be friendly, but there's just something about you that _really_ pisses me off. So, I'm going to simplify what I feel like would be hours of bullshit, down into about five minutes of threats and compliance. You're going to tell me the location of Alcyoneus, and I'll get rid of all of these harpies for you."

In another universe, Phineas wouldn't have cared about someone getting rid of the harpies. Gaea had cursed them, he had his weed eater, all the food he could eat, and the harpies could only eat from his table, couldn't leave Portland, and he had his weed eater.

However, his weed eater was broken, the harpies' hunger had overridden their fear and they were chowing down, and the one holding his neck in a vice grip was not friendly. At all.

Too bad that the harpies were not too much of an issue to deal with. Telling a passerby what their future entailed would not be difficult, and in exchange for his services, he'd ask for another weed whacker. Problem solved. So whoever this son of Neptune was, he could go fuck himself.

"Ha! No deal, heathen. I can take care of those chickens myself!"

The First Number 1 cocked a brow, "I clearly chose the wrong stipulations. I'll reiterate." He brought the seer close to his face, his voice dripping with death, "Tell me where Alcyoneus is, and I won't slowly torture the answer out of you."

Phineas spat in Perseus' face, "Do your worst brat. Heroes like you don't have the stomach for any _real_ form of torture."

The Leviathan slowly turned his head to Hazel and Frank, and the legionnaires got the clear message. The two walked back into the food truck area, ignoring the blood curdling screams of an old man. They didn't know what Perseus was doing, but they didn't want to find out.

It was eye-opening to them. Despite the warm smile, the handsome looks, the cheery disposition, Perseus was a monster that thrived on the meat of living creatures, and lived on death. The things he was doing to Phineas…there was a sound akin to skin and bone being separated, and Frank and Hazel began to speed-walk away.

They reached the food trucks, and the son of Mars looked at his official girlfriend, "Want something to eat?"

"Sure."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus found his friends (funny how he thought of them in such a way) eating fried ice-cream sandwiches. He cleared his throat, and the lovebirds turned around…the ice cream fell from their mouth and splattered all over the ground.

"What? Alcyoneus is on the Hubbard Glacier, but we need to stop off in Seattle. Reyna wants me to stop off and see if we can't the Amazons to lend a hand in the coming battle. Stop staring and get off your asses. We have another boat ride ahead."

"Um, Percy…"

"Yes, Hazel?"

"You're covered in blood…and… _organs_."

"Oh…well I was hungry, and Phineas was being uncooperative."

"Dude, you still look like you just walked through a butcher's shop."

"Your point, Frank?"

"We can't go out in public like that! We'll be arrested for murder or something!"

"Oh, right. You consider mortal laws to be important. Whatever floats your boat, Centurion Zhang." Perseus focused on the light drizzle, getting the ambient water to clean off is clothes and body. In just a few seconds, he was good as new.

"Let's go."

The three headed back for the yacht.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Upon reaching the waters of Seattle, Perseus steered his big boat into an inlet heading for the docks. Frank and Hazel had both crashed together, and he woke them up under 30 minutes ago. Apparently, they both went back in time to watch some Hazel Levesque Home Movies. Whatever, as long as they didn't do that in the middle of a battle, they could cuddle and fuck all they wanted to.

Perseus docked at the wharf, but instead of all of them disembarking, the former Claymore sat down to try and plan some stuff.

"Alright. What we're looking for is the Amazons. I can sense a large amount of energy gathered in one spot, so we'll start there. First off though, what can you two tell me about these people?"

Hazel answered, "The Amazons are a group of all female warriors that hate men. They were all once slaves, until Juno gave them the power to escape. Once free, they formed a matriarchal society and lived relatively peacefully, besides their extremely warrior ways. Rumor has it that they around today, and that they keep men as slaves or something."

"Oh, gods," Perseus groaned. "If I told you about every Claymore I fought that thought they were superior because they had a vagina, we'd miss the Feast."

"Well, how did you deal with them?"

"Frank, I _ate_ them."

"Oh."

"Yes. 'Oh,' is right. Can't really do that in this instance, not without negative repercussions, but…no, that would probably leave Frank in danger…"

"What would leave me in danger?"

"Well," Perseus chirped. "I could alter my body to that of a girl without breaking a sweat. I did that all the time whenever I got bored—wouldn't believe the amount of bandits that tried to rape me—but with two girls entering their domain, there's no telling what they'd do with you, buddy. Awe, fuck it. I can feel the testosterone flowing strong within me today."

The only reason the trio took a little over an hour to reach their destination was that the place in which Perseus sensed the energy was just so damn far away. It was a good thing that the Mist existed, because Frank and Hazel were decked out in their full-body golden armor.

Hazel had her spatha, and Frank was hauling his special spear, and Perseus was dressed as is.

"Uh…I'm not questioning your sensory stuff, Percy, but this is the Building."

"Ironic no? However, there is an intense concentration of multiple energies beneath our feet, and I'm not wondering elsewhere around this concrete monstrosity you people call a city." Looking inside the building, Perseus saw a young woman sitting at the secretary's desk, a small aura within her. "Hazel, you said that Amazons hate men, so you'll do the talking. Frank and I will keep quiet, but if things go south, I'm taking over."

Hazel nodded, her golden eyes hard with determination. She would get her friend's though this, without bloodshed.

"Oh, almost forgot. We're looking for Hylla, she's Reyna's big sister and is the apparent Queen of the Amazons right now. Just thought you should know."

Frank raised a brow, and Hazel nodded, before opening the door to the building.

The lobby was like an empty fish tank—glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said Kinzie. Her smile was friendly enough, but her eyes reminded Hazel of the policemen in New Orleans who used to patrol the French Quarter at night. They always seemed to look through you, as if they were thinking about who might attack them next. Kinzie nodded at Hazel, ignoring the boys. "May I help you?"

"Um…I hope so," Hazel said. "We're looking for Amazons." Kinzie glanced at Hazel's sword, then Frank's spear, though neither should have been visible through the Mist. "This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or—"

Perseus was roaming around the base with his senses, when he located a horse with a very jittery aura. Blame it on his lingering ADHD, but the Leviathan commented offhandedly, "That is one foul-mouthed horse…"

Apparently, that was enough to set Kinzie off. The girl had some speed and some strength, because she was able to get in front of Frank before he could raise his shield, and she was able to Sparta-kick over 300 pounds of armor, bone, and muscle to the ground. She pulled a sword from Hammer Space and tried to sweep Perseus off of his feet by using the flat of the blade…only for the Leviathan to raise his leg and bring it down upon the sword.

Upon the sharp side. Now, any normal person would've had their shoe, foot, and leg sliced clean through, but The Yoki-enhanced flesh of the Leviathan snapped the sword like a twig.

Kinzie blinked, and slowly stood back up, coming face-to-face with a very unamused face.

"Tell me…do you fear death?"

Kinzie was about to piss herself, when her sisters came barreling up the stairs, swords out. Confidence returned to the Amazon, but it was promptly shot down when the boy simply looked at them…and they all _froze_.

They all just stopped moving, but by the way their faces contorted, it was not by will.

"Fantastic. My Yoki manipulation extends to whatever energy you have flowing through your bodies, so that makes battle much easier. Now, I am not without apology, so whatever I did to set you off, I am sorry. However, do not expect me to stand here and let you threaten me with your shiny tooth picks.

"My quest mates and I are here for an audience with your queen, Hylla. You will take us to her, you will not threaten us, and you will submit to my orders. Failure to do so will result in your eradication. If you test me, you will fail," Perseus said with more authority than any god. He folded his hands behind his back, and released the Amazons from his hold. They collapsed to the ground, gasping and breathing heavily, but they looked at the Abyssal Lord with fear in their eyes.

Good. It makes cooperation much easier.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus, Frank, and Hazel thundered through the Amazon's base of operations, the girls themselves following closely behind. The procession attracted much attention, mainly because there were three demigods, two of them well-armed, that were blazing a dizzying trail through the cavern.

They walked at a pace that was tantamount to jogging, all three of them emitting an aura of 'fuck with us and you're dead.' Frank's pupils were shining red, and shadows seemed to bend toward Hazel. Power was constantly rolling off of Perseus, his body wreathed in a fiery aura of sea-green.

The trio ignored all that was in the massive cavern. They were here for only one reason, and it did not involve sightseeing. The group entered a smaller chamber, and the only thing that Perseus and co. cared about was the older version of Reyna sitting upon a throne of books, and the arguing females at the base of the Book Throne.

"Otrera's agents, spreading their lies," Kinzie said.

Perseus did take note of the horse in the cage, and Hazel gasped upon seeing it.

Kinzie tried to open her mouth, but Perseus stormed forward. Hylla took note of his approach had held up her hand for silence. But then she saw the face of the one approaching and flipped shit.

"You!" Hylla leapt to her feet, glaring with murderous rage. She stepped down from her throne and drew her dagger. "You were incredibly foolish to come here. You destroyed my home. You made my sister and me exiles and prisoners."

"No," Perseus glowered with such an intensity that Hylla paled. "I made you and your sister the Queen of the Amazons and the Praetor of New Rome. A life of servitude is no life at all. Because of me, the daughters of Bellona now hold some of the most powerful positions in the mythological world. But I am not here to argue about the pros and cons of military power," the Leviathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a specific ring, throwing to the Amazon Queen.

"Your sister sends her regards, and extends her arm in a desperate plea for your help. The giant Polybotes, and his army, march towards New Rome as we speak. Reyna has requested that I ask for your assistance."

Hylla stared at the ring in her hand with clouded eyes. Then another group of Amazons walked in, and Perseus felt his generosity begin to wane.

"Well!" the older woman interrupted. "Romans need our help?" She laughed, and the Amazons around her joined in. "How many times did we battle the Romans in my day?" the woman asked. "How many times have they killed our sisters in battle? When I was queen—"

"Otrera," Hylla interrupted, "you are here as a guest. You are not queen anymore." The older woman spread her hands and made a mocking bow. "As you say—at least, until tonight. But I speak the truth, Queen Hylla." She said the word like a taunt. "I've been brought back by the Earth Mother herself! I bring tidings of a new war. Why should Amazons follow Jupiter, that foolish king of Olympus, when we can follow a queen? When I take command—"

"Excuse me, but would you mind shutting the fuck up? I'm trying to host a conversation, and your dusty cunt is unwelcome here," Perseus growled.

Amazon's gasped, Hazel and Frank snickered, and Otrera's face contorted into one of rage, "Silence your tongue, male! How dare you speak to your betters in such a way!"

Frank and Hazel stopped snickering, and the temperature suddenly plummeted into temperatures that allowed breath to be seen. Perseus turned his body to face Otrera, his eyes glowing a haunting gold, his pupils becoming animalistic slits.

It was at this moment, that the first Amazon Queen knew…she fucked up.

Perseus was in front of Otrera before anyone could blink, and the woman's skull was blasted into bloody chunks. Golden eyes glared at frightened women, those that were clearly in league with the blasphemer, and then Perseus was back in front of Hylla, the temperature rising and his eyes back to normal.

Then the aforementioned women collapsed into a bloody pile of limbs and guts.

"Reyna may have requested your help, Queen Hylla, but not me. I'm not asking you to help…I'm _telling_ you to," Perseus said in a voice that sent shivers up Hylla's spine. Contrary to popular belief, the Amazons liked men just as much as normal women, although they like them in the way of a dominatrix. They liked the kinky stuff; leather suits, chastity devices, strap-ons, the works.

But when a truly dominant male showed up, one who could stare an Amazon in the eye and make them submit, then things got interesting. Call it heat, but there was something about committing to the Amazon's way of life that made one's more animalistic instincts rise to the surface. Unfortunately, for the now horny Hylla, this was hardly the place to strip and do it.

Perseus could smell the Queen's arousal, but he was on a schedule, and fucking was not a part of it. However, he could play dirty. The Abyssal Lord stepped closer to Hylla in a way that made it look like he whispering in her ear. His hand casually came down to his side, and reached _up_ , lightly stroking the front of Hylla's jumpsuit.

The Amazon Queen bit her lip to contain her moan. The Leviathan's sultry words began to whisper in her ear like a serpent, "If you and your army aren't there by the Feast of Tuna, I will return here, and will be permanently shut down. However, if you obey like a good little girl," Hylla shivered at the demeaning words, and Perseus suddenly rammed his fingers into the crotch of her jumpsuit, penetrating he vagina (Hm, not a virgin), making the woman flinch and bite her lip hard enough to draw blood, "the rewards will be quite worth it."

The Marquis of Murder removed his fingers, leaving the woman to stew in her own hormones.

He turned around and walked back to his quest mates, when an angry voice spoke in his mind, _'Are you just going to leave me here, you shrimp-dicked fuck nugget?'_

Perseus rounded on his brother, Arion the Horse, "Someone get that cage open, now!"

A random Amazon scurried over to Arion's cage, slid her card through the scanner, and the golden horse burst out with a whinny. Before it could take off for freedom, Perseus appeared in front of him, grabbed his snout, and pulled them literally face-to-face. Their eyes bored into each other.

' _Listen here, Horsey. If you think I'm dealing with shit from an equine, you're gonna learn real fast about my opinion of high quality horse meat. If you don't think I'm serious, check out that pile of bodies over there. Now then, you see that girl? That's Hazel Levesque.'_

' _I remember her. She's nice. Always had good snacks.'_

' _I'm glad you think so. She likes you, and I know you like her. So you're now hers. If you complain, I will shove my hand into your ass, and pull out your intestines. You get me?_

' _I get you sir!'_

"Good horse. Frank, Hazel, come on. We're riding out in style."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arion proved to be as fast as every legend about him said. Hazel rode in the front, Frank held tightly onto her, and Perseus wondered if this was what it would like to ride on Isley. The group tore past Amazons, up the ungodly amount of stairs and into the streets of Seattle.

That's when Perseus decided to have some fun.

The Leviathan hopped off the approaching-sonic horse, quickly fell behind due to Arion's speed, and then was almost instantly right back next to him. He grinned at his four-legged brother, _'That all you got?'_

Arion whinnied in challenge, _'Eat my dust, bastard!'_

Twin booms echoed off of the skyscrapers as two being went supersonic. Perseus and Arion blazed across Puget Sound, tearing past islands, fishing boats, and whales. Their speed kicked up a massive rooster-tail of water behind them.

Perseus began to go faster, steadily pulling ahead of Arion. That's when Frank and Hazel finally noticed him, and while they knew he was fast, they didn't think he was sound-barrier fast. Arion grit his horse teeth, and poured on the power. But Perseus was still pulling ahead, his Yoki protecting his clothes from being burned up by the air friction.

They left frigid water and began blazing across dry land. They were now in Canada. Arion's heart began to hammer in a bad way, so the magic horse conceded defeat and began to slow down. Perseus smirked, and also came to a stop.

He was actually breathing harder than any other time since his arrival in this strange world.

Frank was bent over, the top half of his body hidden by a tree, but the sounds coming from him and the sound of liquid splattering against dirt were enough context clues. Hazel was gingerly stroking Arion's mane, the horse panting.

' _Fuck…you…ass…hole…need…food…'_

' _Go find some gold, brother. That was some impressive speed. We'll have to race again sometime, when you're at full strength.'_

Arion was too tired to offer any reply, but he did have the strength to zip off to where he sensed a small concentration of aurum. "Will he be back?" Hazel asked worriedly. "Yep," said Perseus, "if he knows what's good for him."

He arched his back, making his vest rustle and his muscles pop. "Right. We're in Canada now, Hubbard Glacier is that way, and is there anything that we had left on the agenda concerning this country?"

"My grandmother's house is just through those woods and over the river," Frank said tiredly.

"And what will we do there? Get some cookies and milk?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could get an actual rest while we were there. You know, warm beds with sheets and pillows, an actual meal, a hot shower. Things that normal people need."

"I think you left out the part where you and Hazel fuck."

Frank was too tired to be offended, but he did wrap a large arm around his smaller girlfriend. Hazel was blushing, but she wasn't defending, out crying, naysaying, or being anything negative. "If we're supposed to unleash Death, and Hazel is from the Underworld, and my life is tied to a stick, I am more than happy to have sex with my girlfriend before we die."

"At your ages, that's illegal."

"At _your_ age, it's pedophilia. Now please shut up, bro. Hazel and I are tired, and my bed is over in that general direction."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **And that is that. We have successfully covered the majority of the**_ _ **Son of Neptune**_ _ **in a hopefully entertaining and believable way.**_

 _ **What I did with Polybotes was honestly something from straight out of**_ _ **Bleach**_ _ **, with the giant's design being Inspired by Grimmjow's lithe Resurrcción form.**_

 _ **Nest chapter will be the annihilation of Alcyoneus, the victory of New Rome, and Perseus' hopefully smooth and believable transition into the Emperor.**_

 _ **As always, please Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	19. Some Battles, Some Speeches, and a Toga

Some Battles, Speeches, and a Cool Toga

 _ **Forgot to mention last chapter, but we hit 200 reviews! Yay! Now if only we could**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **that high, life would be golden.**_

 _ **With this chapter, all three of my stories will be up to 19, and that is something I never thought would happen. Also in this chapter, we'll be concluding the**_ _ **Son of Neptune**_ _ **in a style befitting the Leviathan, and hopefully making him emperor in a plausible fashion.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own either franchise, but I do own this story

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell am I looking at here, Frank?"

"That appears to be an army of Laistrygonians," Hazel said.

"Wonderful. More cutting up things before we get to Grandma Zhang's."

"Hold on. I got this one." Frank unslung his spear and stabbed it into the ground, before breaking off the tip. The ground trembled, and a giant of man burst forth. Hazel almost crapped in her pants, Frank looked bored, and Perseus looked intrigued.

From his returning memories, he recognized the skeleton-man in the camouflage covered in translucent skin to be a _spartus_. He had fought them before while he was on a different quest, something about the sky…

"Gray. Kill the ogres. Don't let them reform."

The _spartus_ nodded, and made short work of the ogres. He kicked around the ashes, making it so that they wouldn't reform easily. He saluted to Frank, before sinking back into the dirt.

"Gift from Mars. Said it only gets three charges, so now I'm down to two more." Hazel kissed him on the cheek, making the Chinese Canadian Baby Man smile.

"Sweet gift. Try and save it for the Feast for Tuna, alright? An undead warrior that you can summon twice, while giving it any orders that you want will be very helpful. Now let's go see Granny."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus could sense the presence of Mars in this house, but upon entering the room that the god was in, all the trio found was Frank's ancient grandmother laying in her bed, looking ready to die. Frank spoke aloud to seemingly no one, but the Leviathan knew he was speaking to is father.

He and Hazel left the room, the daughter of Pluto going to find the kitchen, getting some food, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, then finally collapsing in a bedroom. Perseus though, he found a window to stare out of, absentmindedly counting the number of ogres he could sense. He found that number to be 174.

With Frank talking to his father, and Hazel out like a light, the Abyssal Lord could finally _think_. It was all back now, his memory. Everything from strangling a snake when he was three, to getting blasted away by Kronos and sent to the other dimension.

Sally, Gabe, Grover, Chiron, the Minotaur, Annabeth, Mr. D, Clarisse, CTF, Luke, the Lightning Thief, Tantalus, the Sea of Monsters, the Golden Fleece, Thalia, Westover Hall, Bianca and Nico di Angelo, Dr. Thorn, Artemis, Nightshade, the Huntresses, the Nemean Lion, the Boar, Talos, Bianca's death, Hoover Dam, Rachel, the Ophiotaurus, Nereus, the Hesperides, Ladon the Dragon, Zoё's death, Atlas, holding the sky, going through the Labyrinth, Daedalus, Antaeus, Nico's anger, King Minos, Alcatraz, Briares, Kampê, Mt. Saint Helens, Ogygia, Calypso, the battle, blowing up the Princess Andromeda, the Battle of Manhattan, Prometheus, Pandora's Box, the Styx, Kronos, Hestia, the Throne Room, and bam!

Dae's laboratory.

It made his brain spin. Perseus of the Wide Smile was ruthless, cunning, uncaring, ambitious, sarcastic, manipulative, and had the physical strength to crush mountains. Percy Jackson was kind, loyal, naïve, goofy, protective, temperamental, and had the physical strength to maybe crush an unopened can of soda.

They were polar opposites. Perseus wanted to start a war and conquer continents. Percy wanted to settle down and resolve his relationship with his friend-that's-a-girl Annabeth Chase. Perseus wanted to become the emperor of New Rome. Percy wanted to live a quiet, simple life. Perseus wanted to go back 'home,' so he could be with Clare and Teresa again. Percy wanted to go back to New York and be with Sally.

Speaking of Sally, the Leviathan wanted to slam his head through the window at the thought of that woman. Perseus had spent over a hundred years without caring if he had parents or not, focused only on what he wanted, and now all of a sudden he had a mother that absolutely adored him, and probably thought he was dead. Perseus was just fine with letting the woman think that, Percy wanted to leap into her open arms and empty his tear ducts into her shoulder.

And Annabeth…Perseus did feel something for her. Longing, perhaps? The Leviathan had never known this kind of love before. Sure he loved Teresa like a big sister. Sure he loved little Clare like a friend. Sure he felt copious amounts of lust when thinking of Reyna. But he had never _loved_ anyone before.

It seemed there was one thing that united Perseus and Percy: their confusion over the daughter of Athena.

The exact status of their relationship was never clarified. They kissed before Percy blew up a volcano, but when they reunited, they're friendship became strained, more so with the introduction of Rachel Elizabeth Dare into their lives. Annabeth had taken a dagger to the back in order to protect his Achilles Heel, and then was out of most of the battle until the debacle in the Throne Room.

It was all so damn frustrating! Was he Perseus of the Wide Smile, or Percy Jackson? Was he a powerful master of an unstoppable army, or was he the leader of a bunch of kids in orange shirts? It would be cliché to say that he was both and that he needed to find balance between the two in order to bring peace to his soul, but shit.

Maybe some cliché is what he needed right now.

Perseus shook his head. He needed to relive some stress. Hazel was out, Granny would be ripped apart, and Frank was a definite no-go, so that left massacring the ogres. He opened the window and leapt out, hell-bent on clearing his head in the best way he thought possible: venting his frustration on something's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus returned to the mansion in the morning. The Laistrygonians had been taken care of with minimal destruction to the environment, and the Wide Smile felt a whole lot better now than what he did last night. This DID, MPD, or SPD, whatever people called it when you had what felt like multiple personalities, would work itself out.

Everything always worked itself out in the end.

He found Frank and Hazel eating some bowls of cereal. Hazel had a satisfied smile on her face, and looked to be almost glowing; Frank's jaw was sharper, his shoulders squarer, and his eyes had a manly light about them. There was also the scent that surrounded the two. The scent of certain substances that were produced when the human body reached a sexual climax.

"If I'm not interrupting anything," the two flinched in surprise at the sudden voice, "Arion is on his way here, so he'll be here in probably ten seconds. When he arrives, we're making a beeline for Hubbard Glacier, freeing Thanatos, beating Alcyoneus, and then racing back to Camp Jupiter. Considering it's the 20th of June, we should be back with plenty of time to help fortify the city. Any questions?"

Two hands were raised.

"Excellent! Make sure your armor is strapped on correctly, your weapons are shiny, and your underwear is clean, because today is going to be _awesome~_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Travelling at the seed of sound, it took less than 30 minutes to get from North Vancouver all the way up the Hubbard Glacier…which was about 10 miles away from the Canadian border, making Alcyoneus the dumbest giant in Gaea's litter of sons.

Upon reaching the top of the glacier, Perseus rolled his eyes, and Frank and Hazel face-palmed. It was an icy version of Camp Jupiter, only everything was just a bit bigger for some reason. The trio strolled down the Via Praetoria with the same aura they had when they were in the Amazon's base. In front of the principia was black-robed figure bound in chains.

All three knew it was a trap, but only Perseus could sense the shades and the giant.

They approached Death without fear, and the Leviathan got the god's attention. Thanatos raised his head, and the shades burst out and surrounded the questers, but the three of them paid the chattering ghosts the same amount of attention as they would ants. Perseus pulled his pendant, and swung mightily against the chains binding Death.

There was a thunderous boom, the magic of the chains refusing to yield to the Abyssal Lord's strength, and the Abyssal Lord's strength refusing to yield to the magic of the chains. When the unstoppable force met the unmovable object, the result was simple: they canceled out.

The shockwave that resulted from the claymore rebounding off the magic chains obliterated the ice that made up Camp Jupiter, and dispersed the shades, sending their golden weapons and armor flying into the water hundreds of feet away. Well that was anticlimactic.

"Ah, Perseus of the Wide Smile. I'm sorry but, only the fire of life can break these chains."

"You don't say? Frank, you're up."

Hazel pulled a wrapped up object from her winter coat, and Frank tore off the bindings to reveal his magic firewood. Thoughts of reluctance and consequence for releasing Death flitted through his mind, but he dashed those ideas. Duty, Sacrifice, Honor; those were his father's values, his mother's values, and they were _his_ values. He would free Thanatos in the name of Emily Zhang, Mars, and most importantly, he would free the god in the name of Rome.

Booming laughter echoed across the icy ruins, but Frank paid it no heed. His friends would protect him from the giant. He thought of fire as he held his tinder to the chains, and instantly it was ablaze.

Perseus turned his attention to the approaching Alcyoneus, the Bane of Pluto spouting some nonsense about Kronos, Jason, weeds, roots, and how he would rule the Underworld. Did this fool not know of the fate of his brother, Polybotes? Did he not remember the dream in which his face was obliterated?

Perseus was about to end this, when Hazel stepped forward, riding on Arion. "I raised this monster from the earth. I'm the daughter of Pluto. His head is _mine_ ," she snarled with narrowed eyes. With the power coursing through her, her usual 24-karat irises now looked more similar to the Claymore's Yoki-enhanced eyes.

The Leviathan shrugged, and watched as Hazel sped off into battle. The shades were coming back, their smoky forms pulling their armor and limbs back together. At least there would be something for him to do while Frank burned his life away, and Hazel played tag with a giant while on a horse with super-speed.

Oh hey look, the eagle standard. That would _really_ boost his image if he came back to New Rome with the eagle. He grabbed the standard from the ice, and he felt power thrum throughout his body. Oh yes, seriously boost his image.

There was the sound of snapping chains. Frank was done freeing Thanatos. The god's only offer of assistance was that the dead would stay dead. That worked just fine with Perseus. He levied the standard at the approaching shade army, and said casually, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata."

The eagle's eyes glowed red, and a torrent of lightning erupted from its outstretched wings, vaporizing the shades into oblivion. Their armor and weapons fell to the ice.

A feminine scream brought attention to the downed Hazel, Alcyoneus about to crush her with his totem-pole sized staff.

Frank's blood boiled. He was not about to let his girlfriend die, but there was no way he would be able to get to her in time. He remembered his grandmother's words, you can be anything, Fai. Frank realized what that meant now. It meant that he had the power to rip off Beastboy from the _Teen Titans_. But no animal was going to help bring down a _giant,_ regardless of physics or canon.

Last night, when he and Hazel had cuddled up after their first time, the centurion had a bizarre dream. In this dream, he had watched as a battalion of monsters of all shapes and sizes march toward a small city made of stone that was covered in snow.

Frank decided to put that theory of 'you can be any living thing' to the test. His body was wracked with pain as it changed to form the shape that Frank wanted. His spine locked into a ninety-degree angle, extended, before shooting back up at another ninety degrees. A new set of legs burst from Frank's new underbelly, keeping him from falling forward. Twin blades ripped from his back, with more blades attached to those, making a set of defunct wings.

And then his body began to grow…really big.

For the first time in perhaps _decades_ , Perseus was shocked into silence. Sure, he knew that Frank could transform (he overheard that conversation), but he didn't think the son of mars could become something like _that_. Then the humor of the situation occurred to the Leviathan, and he busted out laughing.

How would Isley react of knew that there was seventeen-year-old that had the power to rip off his Awakened Form?

Imagine Alcyoneus' surprise when a demonic centaur came barreling into his precious-metal face, before it took off for the north, dragging him along the ground with it. Frank knew he didn't have anywhere near the amount of power the original owner of this form had, but he did know that he now had _muscles_. Huge muscles.

Horses were powerful creatures on their own, and now the centurion had the lower half of one the size of a fighter jet, not to mention the human torso that had every appropriate muscle, just supersized. So yeah, even though Frank was nowhere near as powerful as the original, his new body was more than capable of dragging a giant across the Canadian border

And those blades on his back looked _really_ cool.

Frank tore past a couple of mountains, into a valley that was covered in ice and rocks, like a giant bowl of Cocoa Puffs. Alcyoneus had taken more than a few hits to the face, and was out like a light at the moment. The giant's skin had faded and tarnished, and Frank knew that they were no longer in Alaska, but in _Canada_.

And Alcyoneus was unconscious.

Frank snapped the giant's neck like a twig with his new muscles.

He reverted back to his normal form, his clothes thankfully intact. He swayed, his vision fading, his chest heavy, and his muscles burning. Note to self, he thought, don't transform into really big things right off the bat. Frank fell backwards, and probably would've cracked his skull open on a rock, if Hazel hadn't zoomed past right then, and picked up her heavily fatigued boyfriend.

The two blurred across the landscape, back to Hubbard Glacier where they found Perseus lazily lounging on a chunk of ice, his claymore and the eagle standard stabbed into the ice beneath him in an 'X.' Apparently, the magic backpack came equipped with Cuban cigars, because the Leviathan had one burning in his mouth, with two more for Hazel and Frank.

The dismounted from Arion, and the horse began to graze among the field of Imperial gold armaments.

Perseus tossed the cigars to his friends, who easily caught them, stared at them, glanced at each other, shrugged, and asked for a light. The Leviathan held out his cigar, the demigods all holding them together for a moment.

The quest mates sat in silence for long period of time, just staring out over the ocean, enjoying the silence, and their cigars.

"You should know, when we get back to New Rome, I don't plan on becoming praetor. I plan on giving that position to Octavian, while I become emperor."

Hazel smirked as if she just won a bet, and Frank shrugged. "Dude, the way I see it, you're already an emperor. All you need is the fancy toga," the centurion said softly, still tired from his transformation.

"The thing you just turned into, is true form of my Northern General, Isley the Silver King."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. And if he ever sees you do that, he'll probably murder you."

"Well, it's a good thing we'll never meet him then…"

The questers, because they had a few days to spare in getting back to camp before the battle began, took their time in gathering armor and weapons from the wreckage of the ice-camp and from the bottom of the bay. Hazel used her power to levitate the Imperial gold, Frank transformed into an orca and gathered weapons in his mouth, and Perseus used his liberal control over water to haul up massive bubbles filled with shiny things.

They were settled on a black sand beach, Arion now saddled up to a chariot, with the chariot filled to the brim with swords, shields, pila, daggers, and every piece of armor imaginable. Unfortunately, there was still a hefty amount of armament left over, and there was no viable reason to just leave it on the beach.

So Perseus emptied out the magic bag of its contents, pouring out a small hill's worth of stuff ranging from hand sanitizer to a blow up mattress. There was even a package of adult diapers. Frank and Hazel were just as bewildered as their soon-to-be-emperor. With a simple gesture, a wave rose up and carried all of that stuff to the deep.

With the backpack now as flat as a bored, the Leviathan refilled it with the left over Imperial Gold. When the last helmet was shoved in, the backpack looked just as full as it did when the questers first got it.

Hazel and Frank hopped onto a full-bellied Arion, and Perseus took a runner's stance with the backpack pulled tight to his body.

"First one to Camp Jupiter wins."

Arion whinnied, and the two sons of Poseidon were gone in a couple of sonic booms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You've all been on road trips, right? You know, hopping in the car and driving for _hours_ to some tourist location or whatever? Boring, I know, but at least we all have cellphones, tablets, laptops, iPods, radios, hell even the occasional rest stop and gas station. But the questers did not have that luxury.

It took Perseus and Arion over two hours to sprint nonstop from the southern-most tip of Alaska, all the down the coast, to the Berkeley Hills, even when they were both approaching Mach 2. They arrived on June 21st, just in time for lunch, and Perseus went to town on making people like him, gaining support, making public speeches, helping the campers, boosting morale, creating plans and backup plans and backup plans for the backup plans.

Returning the eagle standard and having the support of Octavian and Reyna also helped.

The questers were thrown a victory feast the night they returned, being hailed as heroes. All three were given awards, and Frank was lifted up by his Cohort, all proud to have him as their centurion. While everyone partied, Reyna, Perseus, and Octavian quietly slipped away to discuss their plans for the coming battle, and the rise of the new emperor.

For the emperor, Octavian had all of his contacts start whispering rumors among the people, getting them all interest in the idea of having a new emperor in this time of war. To boost the public image, the three conspirators would often be seen together in the streets with Frank and Hazel right next to them. Octavian worked on the public endorsement, while the other four worked on the legion itself.

Another thing that made the questers more well-liked was the return of enough Imperial Gold to outfit the _entire_ legion with full-body armor, a sword, a dagger, a pilum, and a shield. Perseus followed the age-old philosophy of 'smile-and-wave.'

Despite their best efforts, support was steadily growing, but not enough to break out the fancy toga. However, that was nothing to be worried about, in the Leviathan's opinion. The true support would come after the battle, when he proved his leadership skills, and displayed the amount of power he had.

Nothing motivated people better than fear, and there was nothing better than the fear of power. It wouldn't be spoken outright, or even hinted at, but when the people saw the power of the Abyssal Lord, a small, whispery voice at the back of everyone's minds would go: what if he turns that power against us because we don't give him what he wants?

A senate meeting had been held to discuss the battle strategy, and when Perseus took the floor, boy did he take the floor. It was pathetic really. He was being of vast physical power, that commanded an army of monsters that fought each other daily to prove their might; one had to have a copious amount of patience and steel in order to control an army of blood-crazed, rapid, vicious animals that were the size of houses.

Right now, Perseus was gaining control over an army of sentient meat-bags. A much easier task.

His battle plan called for a multi-staged level of defense, starting from the hills all the way to the Pomerian Line. The idea was to rig the entire Field of Mars with explosives, and have the engineers set up a fortified wall on the southeastern edge of the Field, between it and the Pomerian Line. Long-distance artillery weapons would be hidden in the barracks and on Temple Hill, constantly firing into the monster ranks. The children of Vulcan would be tasked with melting down any excess Imperial Gold into ammunition.

The Senate bought it like discount pishie.

To remove any other doubt, Perseus also laid out a plan for when the monsters eventually made to the barracks and across the Field of Mars. At the first sign of trouble for the barracks, the campers there would immediately evacuate, and haul ass to the wall, and a signal would be fired to let those on Temple Hill know it was time to do the same. With all Romans behind the wall, the wall's doors would be opened to let Hannibal and Frank barrel through enemy lines, the legion right behind them.

Someone asked about the giant that would be leading the army. The vicious smirk that crossed Perseus' face was more than enough to settle any doubts.

Perseus also omitted the fact that the Amazons would be arriving sometime during the battle, because there was still a chance that the bitches wouldn't show up, and then the Wide Smile would look really dumb. However, the promise of juicy penis should be too much for Hylla to ignore…just like her sister.

The senate unanimously agreed with the plan, especially after both Octavian and Reyna backed it up.

The next two days were spent preparing for war. The younger members of the legion, those that were thirteen and younger, were absolutely forbidden from coming anywhere near the battlefield, for obvious reasons. Perseus had no delusions that everyone was going to come out fine, and he made his thoughts perfectly clear to everyone else, so he wasn't going to allow children to die. Instead, the youngsters were tasked with guarding the city in the event of some stragglers breaking through.

Speaking of the city, the graduates of the legion were more than happy to pitch in and defend their city once more. They suited up, and replaced the numbers that were lost by the children. Any spare Gold that they had was given to the forges to be melted down and turned into cannonballs.

While the engineers constructed the wall that Perseus had drawn up, the Leviathan himself helped roll the massive onagers into place within the barracks and up to Temple Hill. In the Field of Mars, he made sure that the explosives that were placed could be remote detonated. Overseeing the construction of the wall was a fun experience.

The wall was 500 feet long and perfectly straight. Made from stone, the wall towered at 60 feet. The portcullis was made from massive wooden doors over a foot thick. Spanning the wall at 50 foot intervals were towers that were equipped with gas-propelled scorpions that had full-auto firing capabilities like the crossbow out of _Van Hellsing_. Among the battlements were rises of stone that the archers would hide behind in order to take cover.

June 24th came all too quickly for the Romans, but Perseus did not allow despair and doubt into the minds of _his_ soldiers. Instead, he gave the most rousing speech in Roman military history. By the time he was done, the legion was _looking forward_ to battle like blood-crazed animals.

Night fell over New Rome, and the soldiers were ready. The onagers were primed and loaded, the bombs ready to be detonated, the scorpions checked and double checked, every strap of armor fastened tightly, every sword sharpened, every shield polished, all that was left was for the monsters to take the bait and waltz straight into a hail of flaming death.

That bait was Perseus.

The Leviathan stood in full Roman armor, complete with grieves, vambraces, segmented chest plate, shoulder plates, and purple plumed helmet. It helped to be accepted by his soldiers if he was wearing their uniform as well.

He could sense the approaching army, less than a mile out, so he waited patiently. His helmet covered his face, and suppressing his aura down to nothingness would prevent the monsters from recognizing him and running off in terror. Finally, the army eclipsed the hills, and there was a distinct lack of siege tower.

When they were within earshot, Perseus poured gas onto the open fire, "Is all that you brought, giant!? This army wouldn't be enough to fight my grandmother! Hell, it isn't even enough to fight my dog!"

The monsters all roared and charged, blatantly disobeying their commander, Polybotes. Perseus smirked widely at how easy that was. Oh well, he wasn't complaining. The Abyssal Lord turned tail and began to sprint (slowly jog) down the hill and onto the Field of Mars. He made it halfway across, the monsters hot on his heels, when he threw up his arm.

Immediately, the sky was adorned with glowing orbs quickly arcing down onto the field of battle. The monsters all screamed as ten flaming balls of Imperial gold came crashing down around them, taking out swaths of enemy units instantly. The explosives had been set up in a very specific way, that meant they would only detonate by pressing a button.

Perseus made it to the wall, the doors opening just wide enough for him to get through. "Archers! At the ready!"

Children of Apollo and other skilled archers notched arrows, waiting for the signal to fire. It would later, as in the meantime the monsters were streaming onto the Field of Mars, Cyclops, Centaurs, and Earthborn getting torn to shreds by the artillery fire. Eventually, the Imperial orbs would run out, as the Vulcan campers only had enough time to make an even 100. 50 for the barracks, 50 for Temple Hill, each onagers getting 10 shots each.

A contingent of centaurs made it through the seemingly endless hail of fiery balls and into the barracks. They found only onagers that had their slings released. They everything was engulfed in fire.

"Fire!" Perseus roared as the barracks teams set off their flare. The archers let loose their covering stream, picking off any monsters that came close to their siblings. The Temple Hill teams were on their way down as well, and the Cohorts were being assembled behind the wall, ready for the charge.

The scorpion operators were having an absolute blast. With their full-auto firing systems, they mowing down monsters left and right, as were the archers, after being given the order to fire at will. Alas, without the heavy artillery, the monsters were now free to pour onto the Field of Mars en-masse. Alas, the explosives had yet to be detonated.

Perseus hit the button, and the ground shook terribly as fire, monster dust, and smoke erupted into the air. A smirk ripped the Leviathan's face in twine. Out of the 921 individual auras he had sensed from on the hill, only 561 remained, with Polybotes not counting.

There was a sudden cry of "I'm out" that was rapidly parroted across the battlements and towers. The archers leapt down from their positons quickly getting into position with their Cohorts. The artillery was out, the explosives had all been detonated, and the enemy army was regrouping for another assault.

Time for the fun part.

Perseus climbed on top on Hannibal with the eagle standard and a shield in either hand, Hazel to his right on Arion, Reyna to his left on Scipio, Frank, in elephant form, right next to him, and Octavian leading the First Cohort right behind. Time for a motivational speech.

Perseus spun around on his elephant to face his troops, and his voice thundered with authority and power. "You know what to expect from these animals! They are a race of savage bastards who will fight us tooth and nail to destroy what we love! But they don't know what they are up against! _Rome_ is Civilization! _Rome_ is Order! _Rome_ is Power! And right now, right here, at this moment, on this battlefield…WE! ARE! ROOOOOOOME!"

The doors burst open with the deafening roars of true Romans and the trumpeting of war elephants. Reyna took to the skies, accompanied by the giant eagle. Hazel and Arion blurred forward in a streak of wild death. Frank and Hannibal charged straight through enemy monsters, whipping their heads around, and creating golden dust that _didn't_ reform. The First Cohort thundered after them, swiftly cutting apart any monster that dodged the elephants.

It was the other four cohorts that did the shocking thing: they went _around_ the monsters. The Fourth and Fifth skirted around the farthest, with the Second and Third filling in the gaps between the wall and their sister cohorts. All four broke formation and formed two shoulder-to-shoulder lines.

Now the monster only had two places left to go: backwards, or into Imperial Gold pila.

As the monsters began to get boxed in, they became disorganized and savage, creating breaks in the lines despite the pace in which they were being cut down. Hannibal stomped the female cyclops into paste after knocking her down, and Perseus raised the eagle.

" _TWELFTH LEGION FULMINATA!"_

Lighting erupted from the wings like the branches of an electric tree, vaporizing over a hundred monsters. The enemy paused for a moment, and the Romans surged forward with a relentless fervor. Monsters were cut down in a manner so coordinated it looked almost planned out. But, not every monster was easy to slay. More than a few got in a lucky shot, and more than a few Romans had their heads crushed.

" **Grah! Enough of this!"** Polybotes roared, and he slammed his trident down upon the earth. A shockwave rippled out, and the Roman forces were knocked away by several feet, even the elephants, many of them rendered unconscious by blast of divine power.

Then the Amazons arrived.

Those still conscious thought they were going to die, and more than a few either pissed or shat themselves. There fear was unfounded however, when the armored forklifts drove straight into enemy lines, skewering those in the back of the formation.

Reyna and her eagles fluttered around, picking off monster after monster. That all changed when Stheno and Euryale soared into the air, despite their collective stupidity, the gorgons were quite adept at air-to-air combat, and the two easily picked off a number of eagles. Their killstreaks were ended when a couple of pila ripped straight through their skulls, though.

Polybotes growled, before leaping high into the air, vaulting over the Roman lines, crashing into the ground in front of the wall. The angry giant swept his trident in a wide arc, obliterating the obstacle with a single blow.

The Bane of Poseidon turned around, and his frown deepened when he saw that his army had been completely obliterated, but smirked when he saw the number of Roman dead. By his count, 84. His smirk widened when he heard a resounding retreat be echoed around the battlefield, and the legion and the Amazons all skirted widely around him, curving into the city limits. It seemed that the border god was making an exception this time around.

"Remember me, crotch stain?"

Then Polybotes was suddenly weightless as he flew across New Rome, indenting the ground where he landed. About a hundred feet away from the burning barracks.

 _With Hylla and Reyna…_

"Did he just _throw a giant?"_

"Yes, sister, yes he did."

 _Back with Polybotes…_

The giant growled. Jackson…that monster would pay for what he did. That was no ordinary demigod, that was for sure. However, Polybotes was ready this time. Perseus had said that he lacked the durability and speed required to face him, so the Bane of Poseidon was engulfed in a golden pillar of light that shook the landscape.

When the light faded, he was back in the form described in the previous chapter, but this time his mother had granted the power necessary to defeat this demigod once and for all.

Perseus smirked and threw his helmet to the side, having already discarded the eagle and his dumbass shield. His opponent felt different this time, but _still_ not strong enough to be any kind of threat.

There was no witty banter, only Polybotes suddenly blurring behind the shorter man, only to be kicked in the jaw and sent flying across the landscape, slamming into, and tearing a trench through, the earth.

The giant popped his jaws back into place and growled. That was not expected. Based on their previous encounter, he should've been fast enough to get inside Jackson's guard and land debilitating blow, but he didn't even see what hit him before he became airmail.

Perseus materialized in front of the eight-foot Bane of Poseidon. "You know, if I was in the mood, this might have been a really interesting fight. But I'm not in the mood, I'm actually really bored, and there's something else that really has my attention right now, so I'm going to end this quickly, and flashily."

Polybotes, suddenly fearing for his life, channeled over 70% of his power to his torso, and released a gigantic torrent of jade-colored energy that completely engulfed Perseus' upper body. Many people screamed in horror, some went numb, other fainted; Reyna sighed, Octavian smirked, Frank just deadpanned, and Hazel rolled her eyes. Hylla was concerned over why her little sister wasn't concerned about her handsome legionnaire.

The beam faded, and Polybotes' victorious smirk was wiped out by the fact that the only damage he did was to destroy the shirt and armor Perseus had swapped his vest for. "Well…I think that pretty much sums up this entire story. Every opponent I face ends up being nowhere near my level of power, so end up beating them to death with their own limbs. Time to die, Bane of my Father."

Polybotes didn't have time to react before he sent skidding through the earth, then he soaring into the air, then he rocketing down back to the dirt, but instead he hit some kind of force field, bounced off, before being slammed through the barrier, and into the ground.

Perseus merely grinned as he slapped the giant around like an insect, kicking him into the air, punching him into the city limits before blasting him through Terminus' barrier with enough force to leave a deep crater, a mushroom cloud of dust rising into the night sky.

A statue of the god of barriers popped into existence next to the Wide Smile, yammering about regulations, and how he needed a shirt, and that the god was pummeling the Leviathan with his nonexistent arms. The Abyssal Lord rolled his eyes, picked up the statue, and began slamming it into the giant's face with the fervor of someone playing expert level whack-a-mole.

There wasn't much left of Polybotes' skull after the Purple Emperor was done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The Next Morning_

"People of New Rome! I become your emperor today not with dreams of grandeur or with a lust for power, but with a heavy heart, and a dutiful mind. To become emperor is to realize that we are now at _war_ , and to realize that many lives will be lost-have been lost, already. I cannot promise victory, but I can promise that the Greeks are not our enemy, of that I swear on my honor and my life!

"Times ahead are guaranteed to be hard, but do not despair, for we are Romans, and we either conquer, or die, and we _will not die!_ " The crowd roared in approval at Perseus' inauguration speech.

"There has been much debate over who shall take up the seat of Jason Grace. Many of you wanted me to take the position, but I must travel a different route. My path lies on the path to Greece itself, where our enemy intends to gather at the ancient roots of our parents.

"I asked myself what would the point be in becoming praetor, if I was just going to leave not twelve hours after I donned the purple toga. But it was at the urging of Reyna herself, and you, the people, that brought me to where I stand before you now. As emperor, I have the power to appoint whomever I choose to become praetor of the legion, and I have chosen a man that has served his people valiantly, his family serving the people valiantly. Legionnaires, salute your new praetorian, Octavian!"

The crowd yelled _'Ave!'_ in such an unparalleled unison, that it almost sounded like one massive voice that was speaking. The augur had had to step down as First Cohort centurion, and the other one had been KIA, so Hazel and Frank had been promoted by Reyna as a reward for their service, and a daughter of Venus had been promoted to Fifth Cohort Centurion to be Dakota's partner.

The son of Bacchus was not complaining.

Within the crowd of people of soldiers, Hazel and Frank smirked. There was no malice behind Perseus becoming emperor, no ill-intent or malevolent reasoning, but they still couldn't help but feel that just helped make Darth Sidious Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.

Strangely, they felt perfectly fine with that.

The dead had been given a mass funeral, and the barracks' rebuilding had been postponed until things had settled back down. The Amazons had left after breakfast, and Queen Hylla had the strangest smile on her face…

It was almost time for lunch, and Perseus was finalizing his control over the people of New Rome. It was scary really, just how much control over the mythological world he now held. He was emperor of New Rome, he was the leader of the Greek Camp, he had something going on with the Amazon Queen, and his cousin, Thalia, was the lieutenant of Diana's Huntresses.

He had some _serious_ influence.

And the power to keep people in line. Oh yeah, everyone had watched as Perseus thrashed Polybotes around like a god fighting a mortal. It was quite the terrifying, and awe-inspiring thing to witness for the Romans and Amazons.

"Now, I realize that there are many of those before me that fear what I will do with this power that I now wield. History has shown us that those with absolute power are corrupted, absolutely, but do not fear, brothers, and sisters. Once this war is over, I will relinquish these temporary powers with the same relief as someone being told that they're not the father," Perseus said with a lighthearted smile. The audience got a little kick out of that.

A Greek trireme was spotted in the sky, and the Leviathan narrowed his eyes.

"Centurions!" they stood at attention, "Assemble the Cohorts on the Field of Mars! I want everyone looking shiny and serious for our guests. People of New Rome, return to your houses. I said that the Greeks are not our enemies and I stand by that, but I do not trust our enemies to simply leave us alone. In other words, I suspect foul play is afoot." Perseus concluded his speech with a swish of his new toga, and the personnel down below took that as their signal to leave.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The thing Perseus loved most about being the emperor was not the power, or the control, or the nice ring it had (Emperor Perseus, very catchy), it was the _toga_.

This baby looked like something out of an anime. It was royal purple with gold embroidery around the edges, and was extremely comfortable to wear. Perseus had his toga arranged in a way that it tightly came up an over the left side of his torso, covering his shoulder and most of his bicep. The excess amount of cloth was bunched up into a belt of purple and gold around his waist, and the rest of the toga fell down in a way similar to a trench coat, only the coattail was designed so that it came around to cover most of Perseus's right leg, while his left leg was covered to just short of the side of his kneecap.

Of course, he had on no shirt, so most of the right side of his muscular torso and the entirety of his arm was exposed, along with his emblem pendant.

All five Cohorts had been assembled on what was left of the Field of Mars, the emperor, his praetorians, and the First Cohort centurions standing out in front, arranged in a slight wedge. The Greek ship got the clear message and landed on the crater-covered plain. The Leviathan wondered how Jason felt about the state of his camp.

Perseus' breath hitched in his throat, something that his friends noticed.

"Is something wrong, Percy?" Reyna asked.

"A little bit. See the girl with the blonde, curly hair?" A bunch of nods. "From what I remember, she and I were a thing, maybe, and I've spent the last century—dah I mean eight months, yeah…I've spent the past eight months leaving her on hold."

"So what you're saying is…you're afraid of a girl."

"No, Octavian. I have no idea what love is, and I think she's looking for a serious relationship."

The plank of the trireme was lowered, and the first person off the oversized canoe was a seventeen-year-old young woman with intense grey eyes, blonde, curly hair like a princess, an orange t-shirt, and jean-shorts that came down to her mid-thigh. And she had an expression that was a strange mix of anger, happiness, and relief.

The Lord of the Abyss was missing the days when all he had to do to handle an irate female was bitch-slap her head off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Oh my god…we've done it people. All three stories are finally on the same page.**_

 _ **In honor of what I think is crowning achievement, I shall let you be privy to a number of story ideas I've thought up of, and I WANT some feedback on which one you all think sounds best.**_

 _Son of Jashin_ _\- Percy Jackson is unusual demigod. Mostly because he is neither Greek, Roman, Norse, or Egyptian. He's Shinto, and when the Titans try forcing him into their service, he goes into hiding, but then he's found by a bunch of kids in orange that turn his entire life into one big pile of shit._

 _Green-Eyed Ghoul_ _\- Sally Jackson is a Ghoul. Poseidon is a god. That makes for one powerful being of half divine entity, and half meat-eater. Zeus' bolt is stolen, and imagine Anteiku's surprise when a bunch of girls in silver come asking for their youngest member…_

 _Roanapur's Sea-Devil_ _\- A drunken Gabe just murdered Sally. An angry Percy just murdered Gabe. On the run, the eight-year-old finds that world is a harsh place, and only the strong can survive, but he never thought that a black man, a computer nerd, and a foul-mouthed woman could be the greatest family ever._

 _ **I set up a pole on my profile, I think, for people to go vote on which**_ _ **s**_ _ **tory you want to see published. Y'all have until this time next week; in which I will announce the winner.**_

 _ **As always, Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	20. Re-Introductions and Talking

_Re-Introductions and Talking_

 _ **And after a long awaited absence, Leviathan takes the stage once again. Also, many of the events in**_ _ **The Mark of Athena**_ _ **won't be happening for obvious reasons, so expect the trip to Rome to be very short.**_

 _ **With that said,**_ **Disclaimer:** I don't own Claymore or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Perseus' breath hitched in his throat, something that his friends noticed._

" _Is something wrong, Percy?" Reyna asked._

" _A little bit. See the girl with the blonde, curly hair?" A bunch of nods. "From what I remember, she and I were a thing, maybe, and I've spent the last century—dah I mean eight months, yeah…I've spent the past eight months leaving her on hold."_

" _So what you're saying is…you're afraid of a girl."_

" _No, Octavian. I have no idea what love is, and I think she's looking for a serious relationship."_

 _The plank of the trireme was lowered, and the first person off the oversized canoe was a seventeen-year-old young woman with intense grey eyes, blonde, curly hair like a princess, an orange t-shirt, and jean-shorts that came down to her mid-thigh. And she had an expression that was a strange mix of anger, happiness, and relief._

 _The Lord of the Abyss was missing the days when all he had to do to handle an irate female was bitch-slap her head off._

"There's also another problem."

"And that would be…?" Reyna trailed off.

"I can sense three presences, yet where I sense them, I cannot sense them."

"Ah," Octavian said. "If memory serves, my Emperor, there is a species of monster called 'eidolon.' Invisible unless physically touched, and they have the ability to possess people and objects."

"Well then, Gaea's plan has already been revealed, and I'll handle the foiling part."

Frank, Hazel, Octavian, and Reyna nodded. They were smart people, and like their emperor, could see what Gaea's plan _was_. Use the eidolons to possess some of the Greeks, and make them fire on New Rome, which would cause mass panic and distrust, which would create some kind of schism between the gods, because their Roman children and their Greek children would both be praying for aid at the _same time_.

Gods, having a man with sensory powers was _so_ helpful.

Percy walked forward, stopping probably five feet away from the Greek procession. Annabeth was looking at him with uncertain eyes, understandably confused, cautious, and relieved to see him. The blonde boy, most likely Jason, had clear mistrust, borderline hostility in his eyes, probably because Perseus was wearing the emperor's toga. The girl, of Native American descent—if Perseus' ethnic knowledge was up-to-date—was staring wide-eyed, clearly caught off-guard by the emperor's appearance. There were also the _barest_ traces of lust in her eyes, most likely spurred by the Leviathan's physique. The last member looked like some kind of Mexican elf with a tool belt around his waist, grinning like an imp.

There were also the eidolons hanging about, but they were at the bottom of the List of Concerns.

Perseus broke the ice first. "Haven't seen each other in eight months, and the only greeting I get is hesitation? Where's the love at?"

Annabeth's face broke into a scowl, but it was a false one. The corners of her mouth were trembling upwards. She stormed forward, grabbed Perseus' toga, and pulled him into a kiss. Wolf-whistles and catcalls were abounding. Reyna's eye twitched, and Octavian discretely grabbed her ass. Her only reaction was a faint blush.

As for the kiss itself…Annabeth felt like electricity was coursing through her. The hair might have been different, the eyes a different color, the build different, the aura no longer the same, but only Percy had made her feel this way when kissing.

Then he began to kiss back.

The mighty arms of the Leviathan circled around her, pulling her close. Annabeth could feel the smooth, soft fabric of the toga, and the warmth of his chest…and holy Hades those were some rock-hard muscles!

The daughter of Athena whimpered slightly when Perseus pulled back, but there was a glint in his eye that sent shivers running along Annabeth's spine.

"We'll sort out what our relationship is later. For now, we must politic," he whispered, his voice baritone and husky. Annabeth couldn't wait for later. Perseus turned around, addressing the assembled army in front of him. "Romans! In this time of war, we welcome our distant cousins, the Greeks, to our home! We also welcome back Jason Grace, son of Jupiter!"

The crowd went nuts.

As the Romans cheered, Perseus leaned back down to Annabeth, causing her tense in anticipation. "Are you aware of the invisible monsters that are following you?"

Surprised, but realizing that he was being serious, Annabeth answered, "Ever since we left Camp half-Blood, I've had this feeling that I'm being watched, and followed, and there's been this weird chill, like a snowman breathing down my neck, but there's always nothing there."

Perseus hummed, and held his hand up, silencing the cheering demigods. "Friends, it appears that we have enemies in our midst." The atmosphere shifted, Jason, Piper, and Leo fearing that Perseus was going to get them all murdered. "The Earth Goddess, Gaea, our enemy, has sent her minions to follow our new allies, in an attempt to breed violence against us. Will you let that stand?"

"NO!"

"Alrighty then."

Perseus' arm suddenly snapped out, and he smirked when his hand closed around something solid. Everyone was confused, until the air rippled. There, clutched in the Leviathan's hand, was a creature the size of a small child. Its skin was dark purple, and it had a thick aura of black mist curling around it. Its little head was hairless, its ears pointed, its nose extended, a small tail flailing about, and a mouth filled with little fangs. Its eyes were nothing more than twin circles of glowing blue.

It looked like a little goblin.

It reminded Perseus of a Yoma.

"Gods, you are one ugly little thing," the Wide Smile drew out, before he squeezed, and the eidolon erupted into golden dust. "Now, I believe there were two more…knife me, Reyna." He held his hand out to the side, and the girl in the purple toga and armor pulled a dagger out from behind her, and tossed right into the open palm of Perseus. Then he casually flung the dagger…right next to poor Piper's head. The daughter of Aphrodite squeaked, but the little goblin right next to her exploded into dust. "And then there was one," Perseus swiveled his gaze to the shocked Jason.

"W-what? But I'm not-" Jason shuddered, his electric blue eyes turning solid gold. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a coin, flipped it into the air, and gawked as Perseus suddenly appeared, and caught the coin. It turned into an Imperial Gold gladius. "Oooo, nice sword."

The possessed Jason leapt back, and his had sparked with electricity. "Stay back, or I'll pierce a hole through his heart," the eidolon moved his sparking hand to the appropriate area.

Perseus rolled his heterochromic eyes, and prepared to beat the eidolon out of his cousin, but it was the Indian girl that stepped up. Her eyes glowed a faint pink, and the Leviathan realized that this was a daughter of Aphrodite…with Charmspeak. That was such a useful ability.

"Whoever or whatever you are, _get out of my boyfriend!_ "

Everyone saw a visible haze lift out of the purple-toga clad young man, and Perseus was already springing into action. His hand shot forward, grabbing the little goblin-thingy by its head, and he shoved the gladius right through its abdomen. It disintegrated into oblivion.

Jason blinked, "Um…what just happened?"

Perseus handed the son of Jupiter his sword back. "You got possessed by one of Gaea's bitches. Your girlfriend made it leave you, and then I killed it," he clapped Jason on the back.

"Who wants lunch!?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone was now gathered in the forum of New Rome. Terminus had popped up, but one look from the _emperor_ had the statue allowing weapons and armor inside the city limits. Couches and furniture had been wheeled in, and now the forum looked like a furniture store. Romans sat in large groups here and there, with wind spirits moving food around.

The Greeks and the leaders of New Rome had their own little set up at the head of the forum. A large table was in the middle, with comfortable couches arranged in a half-circle that opened up to the rest of the forum. Perseus, Annabeth, and Reyna sat in the middle couch. Octavian was to Reyna's left, sitting with Frank and Hazel on the right couch, and Jason was to Annabeth's right, sitting with Piper and Leo on the left couch.

"So," Perseus chirped, "who wants to start story time first?"

Jason started, telling his tale from when he woke up on the bus, to popping up in the middle of dinner at Camp Half-Blood after fighting with Porphyrion at the Wolf House.

"Gaea's forces took over the Wolf House?" Octavian gasped. "They must be stronger than what we first anticipated."

"Perhaps," Perseus mused. "But now is not the time for worrying over an enemy many miles away. Now is the time for communication, getting everybody caught up on current events. Hazel, Frank, our turn."

The trio told their story, every bit of it, from Percy snapping the necks of the gorgons, to the War Games (which explained why the hills seemed to be cut in half, to the Senate meeting, to hijacking the yacht (which should still be in Seattle) their trip North, Phineas, the Amazons, Grandma's house (with sexual details left out) the veritable massacre at Hubbard Glacier, preparing Camp Jupiter, the battle itself (which explained why the Field of Mars had several craters in it, and why the barracks was a giant pile char wood), to the people anointing Perseus as temporary emperor until this war was over.

At the end of the story, those in orange shirts were trying catch flies with their mouths.

"Seriously?" Leo managed. "Like, no bullshit?"

Piper was too stunned to be appalled by the Latino's language.

"I swear on the Styx that everything we just told you is true." Que rumbling thunder, and nothing happening to Frank, Hazel, or Perseus.

"Dude, where the Hades did you get _that_ kind of power?"

"That, Leo, is a conversation best held on the ship while we're sailing for Greece. Speaking of, if we're all ready, there's nothing stopping us from leaving right now."

"We need a plan though. Analyze the prophecy, discuss what to do about the Romans and the Greeks…" Annabeth trailed off, clueing Perseus in on that there was something else bothering her.

"Okay, the plan is that we get to Greece, find the giants, call forth our godly parents to help kick their collective asses, and be back by the time school starts. The prophecy is simple: _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call_ ; me, you, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel. _To storm or fire the world must fall_ ; I'm the storm, or Jason and I are the storm, who the fire is I don't care, and the world is Gaea, and she'll fall either way. _Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_ ; if memory serves, just because Thanatos is free does not mean the Doors are closed, and foes would be the Greeks and Romans, i.e. us, going to close it, which is somewhere in Rome." Annabeth paled at the mention of Rome. "Finally: _An oath to keep with a final breath_ refers to a deal made between me and Hera."

"Hera's going to take your soul!?"

"No, Piper. More like I'm going to beat her to death is she doesn't keep her end of the deal, which none of you need to worry about at this moment in time. You asked about Greek and Romans, Annabeth? Well that's simple: Octavian, Reyna, you two will prepare the troops for departure, and travel to Delphi Strawberry Service, which is on Long Island Sound. Can't miss it, I promise."

Everyone was silent as Perseus broke everything down into simplicity. The Greeks were shocked, none more so than Annabeth—since when was Seaweed Brain so smart and commanding? –and the Romans were paying rapt attention to their emperor. After a few moments of mental processing, Leo clapped his hands together.

"Well I'm sold. Fly across the country, get to Rome, busts some heads, fly to Greece and bust more heads, before integrating back into normal human society like we didn't just save the world. Who's with me?"

Perseus looped an arm around Annabeth's shoulder, making her blush faintly. "I like this kid," he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A few hours later_

After a quick goodbye speech to boost the morale, the Prophecy of Seven was officially airborne and cruising across the United States at a steady 120 miles per hour. Gotta love magic oars.

Right now, the seven most powerful demigods of the age were sitting in the mess hall below, eating dinner, and further discussing things. Perseus sat at the head of the table, Annabeth to his right, Jason to his left, with the rest sitting next to their significant others.

"Okay, you said you'd tell us how you got so powerful when we were flying for Greece. Now we're flying for Greece," Leo prompted.

Perseus paused, a full 16-oz T-bone in his mouth, then he swallowed it whole. The demigods watched in morbid fascination as his throat constricted to force the massive chunk of meat down. Amazingly, he didn't choke. But he did belch loudly.

"Technically, we're flying for Rome, not Greece, and Annabeth has something to say. It's been bothering her ever since I told you all about the Doors of Death being in Rome. So spill."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "A few days ago, before we set sail, my mother came to me in a dream. This was after Nico came and told us that you were alive, Percy."

"And how is di Angelo?"

"That's what I'm worried about. Mom gave me a prophecy, and I think it's beginning to start:

 _Wisdom's daughter walks alone_

 _The mark of Athena burn through Rome_

 _Twins snuff out the Angel's breath_

 _Who hold the key to endless death_

 _Giant's bane stands gold and pale_

 _Won through pain from a woven jail_

"She also told me that I had to restore her honor; something was taken from her long ago by the Romans. She said it would settle an old score. I've got no idea what that could mean."

Heterochromic eyes slid over to the previous praetor. "Jason. Any ideas on what was taken?" the tone used heavily implied that you'd better come up with something, or get prepared to hurt.

"Well…there was the Athena Parthenos. When Rome overtook Greece thousands of years ago, the Romans stole the statue as a way to crush Greece's morale. Where it is now, however, is evidently somewhere in Rome."

"So we have the Doors of Death _and_ Giants' bane in one location. How convenient. I wonder how much bullshit will be thrown at us from here to there," Perseus said distantly, his eyes looking far away.

"About that power?" Leo prompted.

The Leviathan smirked in a way that made the son of Hephaestus regret ever asking the question. "Want to know about my past, eh? Well strap yourselves down, kiddies… _you're about to question your grip on reality."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…and after this war nonsense is done and over with, Hera should be keeping her _oath_ and sending me back home so I can finish what I started. Annabeth, come with me; we have a lot to talk about. This meeting is adjourned for the time being, while we all adjust to the fact that I could wipe out civilization singlehandedly."

Perseus lead the blonde up the stairs and onto the deck, all the way over to the prow. Festus blew a little fire at their arrival. Annabeth stood next to the Wide Smile, overflowing with questions and nervousness. Due to the movement of the _Argo II_ , Perseus' toga flapped slightly.

"Ask, and I shall answer."

"Are you really going to leave it all behind? Me, Sally, Tyson, Camp, your father?"

"Yes."

Annabeth felt like she was just stabbed. "How can you say that, Percy? Doesn't your mother mean anything to you? Your brother? Your family? Don't I mean anything to you?"

"I don't know what any of you mean," Perseus's teeth clenched. Annabeth could see that he was in pain. "I've spent over a century without knowing any of this stuff, simply preparing my army for a one-sided war, and all of sudden I'm plopped back into a world made of glass." He looked at Annabeth suddenly, and the girl felt the blood in her body freeze. His hand slid out, cupping around Annabeth's throat.

"Why should I not end it, Annabeth? Why should I not sever all ties with this past? I could kill you, everyone on this ship, everyone at Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter, I could tear down Olympus, destroy Atlantis, and make Gaea my whore, and who would stop me? Why should I stop _myself_?" His eyes glowed in the dark of the night.

His grip tightened on her throat, and Annabeth desperately sought an answer. Her mind went into overdrive, running over every memory of him that she had, everything that he had told her about the Continent, and everything that he was doing now. Finally, she came up with an answer.

"Because you still _love_ , Percy."

He raised a brow. "Explain."

"You still love your mother, and your father, and Tyson, just as you love Teresa and Clare," she wanted so badly to say 'still love me,' but she wasn't sure at the moment. "If you didn't love anymore, you wouldn't have this conflict within you. You would've simply killed everything and be done with it, but you haven't, and I don't think you will, either."

The Leviathan let go of her throat, glowering at her. "You want me to love you, don't you?"

Annabeth's eyes widened, before she flung herself onto him, burying her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around his back. "Gods, Percy, yes. I want you to love me just as I love you," she sobbed.

Perseus felt his world beginning to shake. Love? He didn't know what this _love_ thing was. He had been raised as killer, a soldier, one that took order without quest—no that wasn't right; he was raised as the son of Sally Jackson, with ADHD and dyslexia, getting kicked out of school after school after school, going on quests that almost perfectly mirrored those of the ancient Heroes.

No that wasn't right. He was the Leviathan, a monster heralded as the Abyssal Lord due to his _monstrous_ power. He ate people on a regular basis, killed so many thousands he had stopped counting after ten years. He led an army of ravenous beasts, each one easily capable of winning this war by itself.

The females that were in the army had tried to become his mate, all of them failing. They were not appealing to him, nor was the idea of screwing them just for the hell of it. He didn't even know about the concept of fucking before Cassandra, God rest her soul, and by then it just wasn't something he wanted to frivolously engage in. He only did Reyna and Hylla because it got them on his side. Other than that, they could use the pommel of a sword for all he cared.

But…he loved Clare. He loved Teresa. Surely, he could love Annabeth, too, right? Or maybe that was _Percy_ talking. Regardless of who's emotions these were, the Leviathan wrapped his arms around the girl clinging to him.

"I don't know if I can love you, but…I will try."

It wasn't the answer Annabeth had hoped for, but it was more than what she expected. Perhaps his hesitance was her fault as well. If she hadn't been so conflicted with her feelings back then, if she hadn't waited so long to tell him how she felt, maybe they would've already been a couple. But there was no point in dwelling on the past.

Right now, she had to focus on getting the First Number 1 to love her again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the shock-factor of Perseus' past had worn off, everyone returned to the mess hall to discuss Annabeth's prophecy.

"It's clear that Wisdom's daughter is Annabeth, and that this mark of Athena will lead you to where you need to go. Now, the second and third lines refer to twins that will kill an angel that holds the key to endless death. What's become of Nico?" Perseus asked.

"We don't know. After he showed up and delivered the news that you were alive, he vanished in the morning, saying that he would find the doors and close them himself," Annabeth answered. Hazel's eyes flashed with anger.

How dare _anyone_ attack her family!

"Wonderful. Now that we know Nico's been captured, and that he either knows where the Doors are, or knows how to find them, but do we have any ideas on who the 'twins' might be? Most likely a couple of giants. Anyone? No? Fine then, we'll worry about that later. On to the other lines.

"We're all pretty confident that the Giant's bane which stands gold and pale is the Athena Parthenos, right? Now that just leaves the last line. _Won through pain from a woven jail_. Clearly, Annabeth's going to get the statue, but it's going to hurt. And finally, the woven jail. I've got a theory on that, but if someone has something they'd like to share first, be my guest," all of them were paying rapt attention to the Lord of the Abyss.

With a sigh, he said, "Children of Athena's greatest fear is spiders, and to insects, a spider's web is like a jail because it prevents them from leaving, and it's woven from the spider's silk. To simplify, I think that the woven jail keeping the Parthenos…was spun by Arachne."

The very name sent shivers down Annabeth's spine. "I-it makes sense. The myths are sketchy, but they all boil down to Athena and Arachne having a weaving contest, in which Athena turned Arachne into a spider for a variety of reasons."

"Poetic, isn't it? The one that Athena is most famous for cursing…is the one holding her statue hostage. Do you want me to handle it for you?"

While deeply touched, and very sorely tempted to say yes, Annabeth declined her boyfriend's(?) offer. "No. The prophecy and my mom both say that I have to do it alone."

"Trying to interfere with a prophecy never works out," Jason added.

"Yes, but I'm not Michael Varus. Regardless, if that's your decision, Annabeth, then so be it. Arachne and the Athena Parthenos are yours." Perseus looked around, "If no one has anything else to say, then I suggest we all turn in, and get ready for Rome."

"Wait," Piper said. "About those twins, who are probably giants, I think I have a way of figuring out who they are."

"Go on, then," Perseus urged.

"My dagger, Katoptris, let's me see things about the past, present, and future. In one vision, I saw a road sign saying Topeka 32, and there was a man next to it. He was wearing khaki shorts, a purple shirt, but his face was hidden by a wide-brimmed hat with grapevines on it. He was holding out a silver goblet to me. I think he can help us."

"Purple shirt and grapevines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus," Jason said.

"Dionysus giving us help," Perseus mused, ignoring Jason's ADHD outburst of 'Bacchus,' "an oxymoron if there ever was one. Regardless of whatever you want to call the wine dude" –Annabeth snorted lightly— "Leo, set course for Kansas."

"Aye, aye, Captain Leviathan!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Chapter 20, in the books. I hope Percy and Annabeth's reunion was believable, because I struggled coming up with something that fit. In the end, that's what I came up with.**_

 _ **Added my own little spin to the eidolons, but bottom line is that New Rome is A-Okay, and no-one hates Leo Valdez. Reyna and Octavian are leading the Romans to CHB, but since this story is told mainly through Perseus' eyes, do not expect them to be popping up anytime soon.**_

 _ **Like the title said, this chapter was a bunch of talking. I'm trying to give the Leviathan some depth here, trying to make him more than just an all-powerful murder machine. Not sorry if that pisses you off.**_

 _ **Next chapter will have more action in it, with Bacchus, Gaea, Phorcys, and some other things. Excuse while I go re-read the book.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	21. Almost to the Atlantic

_Almost to the Atlantic_

 _ **And here's chapter 21. After this, we'll be hopping back onto Xenomorphic, followed by Backup Plan, then we'll get Ghoul up to 21 chapters, and then I may or may not begin work on Son of Jashin.**_

 _ **But that's still a long way off, so no-one get their hopes up yet.**_

 _ **In this chapter, we'll be covering the confrontation with Bacchus just outside of Topeka, the late-night conversation with Annabeth (which will be different, duh), the fiasco with dear ol' Phorcys, and the Charlestown stuff will be glossed over.**_

 _ **Also, for those of you going 'But Percy's looking for a strong mate, why would he want Annabeth, a weak demigod?' don't worry, fret, or concern yourself with a pairing. Annabeth's weakness will be taken care of, I promise.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Claymore or PJO

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Somewhere over Kansas_

The _Argo II_ sailed swiftly and silently over the endless wheat fields of Kansas. All of the demigods were on deck, looking over the railing. Percy's toga flapped, and his hands were clasped behind his back. Standing closely by him, was Annabeth.

Soon, the Leviathan held his hand up, and Leo stopped the ship. "Stay aloft, and all of you stay here. The ground is Gaea's territory, and there's no need for unnecessary risks," he looked at Piper, "I'll find Bacchus and see if he can help us."

The Cherokee girl nodded.

Perseus was about to leap over the side, when Annabeth gripped his toga. "Please. Be careful."

He grinned, that same infuriating, heartwarming, and handsome lopsided smile that used to always be on his face. Annabeth felt her cheeks get warm. Perseus gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "As if anything's going to happen to me."

Then he was falling.

"Am I the only one that thinks this entire quest is now pointless with _him_ on our side?" Leo asked from the controls.

"Nope."

"Not really."

"Uh-uh."

"I'm with you."

"I agree."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around that he's one-hundred something years old, and has been living in a world where their average monster makes anything we've faced look like playground bullies," Piper said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus trudged through the sunflower fields to where he sensed the divine energy up ahead. He cleared the field to find an empty road, with a large sign saying Topeka 40. That was strange, he could've sworn he sensed…oh it _moved_. That made sense.

Doing some math, that meant that the appropriate road sign was eight miles that way. The Lord of the Abyss vanished in a burst of speed, traversing the eight-mile distance in three seconds.

He wasn't surprised to hear a rustling in the wheat, and the God of Wine himself came tumbling out. Wine-red eyes met green and silver. "Oh…it's _you_ ," Bacchus sounded equal parts worried, angry, and somewhat relieved.

"Yes, _me_. I've come for information regarding giants that are twins, and the Mark of Athena. We can do this civilized way, in which we talk like gentlemen, or I can just beat the answers out of you. I'll let you decide."

Bacchus narrowed his eyes, his mouth set into a thin line. Finally, he said, "The giant twins are Otis and Ephialtes, the anti-Me. They plan on destroying Rome with some kind of fireworks display in order to upstage me. Idiotic brats, no respect for true showmanship-"

"Indeed," Perseus cut in. "And the Mark of Athena?"

Bacchus didn't look too happy about being interrupted, but this wasn't the same Peter Johnson as eight months ago. "I don't know anything about _that_ item, but I do someone who might. Go to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Look for a man named Phorcys, but I bet you'll be able to sense him and his wife, Keto. But beware: they may try to capture you."

The Leviathan snorted. "They can try and they will fail. Back to the topic of the giants, I trust you will be there in Rome to fulfill your part of the equation?"

"Is that a threat, _child?_ You may be powerful, but I am a god, and-ack!"

Perseus whipped forward, his hand clamping around the god's throat _tightly_. "What we have here is a failure to communicate, and I apologize for that. Ya see, Bitchus, I'm not asking you to help, I'm telling you to help. And if you aren't in Rome when the battle ensues, I will find you, and _ass-rape you_! Comprende?"

Bacchus nodded frantically.

"Good. Now run along, this place smells like a trap."

Bacchus disappeared with a sound akin to a soda can being opened. Immediately, the ground shook slightly, the wind blew harshly for a moment, and all of the sunflowers and wheat stalks turned to face the Leviathan with an annoying chattering/clicking sound.

"Well, well, if it ain't the Earth Bitch herself. What's the matter? Too weak to take a corporeal form, or too scared?"

 _Do not presume to be so mighty, Perseus. For all of your admittedly considerable power, you are still no match for my sons or I. After your little display at New Rome, I've deemed it appropriate to empower all of my giant children._

Perseus laughed, loudly. "And you think that'll help? I was holding back almost all of my power when I destroyed Polybotes. Your sons are no threat to me; they're little more than snacks."

The sunflowers and wheat stalks chittered rapidly. Gaea's form of laughter.

 _It is true that even with their new powers, you are still stronger, but the others on this doomed quest? Not so much, and you won't always be around to save the day, and carry everyone on your shoulders. And speaking snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male._ _You_ _could satisfy both._

"Ah, yes, my shapeshifting. You wouldn't believe how many lecherous men came after me whenever I took a female form. It was as flattering as it was sickening. But I digress; while getting drops of blood from this form will not be _too_ difficult, how do you expect to get me to turn into a woman?"

 _Why, with little Clare, of course._

Perseus was silent for a moment, before, "Hehe…hehehe…hehehehehehe," he chuckled softly, deeply, then he threw his head back, and howled, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _Why do you laugh? Does the threat of your little friend's life mean nothing to you?_

Perseus calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye, then his face set into a demonic smile, his heterochromic eyes glinting with untold depths of madness. "Oh Gaea, I would pay _money_ to watch as you try and fail in performing such an operation. If, by some act of God Almighty, you did _somehow_ get past my army, you would then have to get past Teresa, feats that sound a lot easier on paper than in real life.

"After that, if you managed to get ahold of Clare, you would no longer be facing my indifference, but my _wrath_. I'm only here by obligation, my deal with Hera demands my presence in this war. Beyond that, I don't care what you do. But if you so much as think of Clare in the wrong way, I will come for you with all of the power I have, and _annihilate you_. But by all means, Earth Bitch, please, piss me off."

 _Bold words, boy, but they are not without merit. There are other females to choose from, and making you shift forms may indeed be difficult, but it will not be impossible._

The Abyssal Lord's nostrils flared, and his eyes shifted to burning gold with slit pupils. "Me thinks that thou dost not heed my warning. Here, a sample of my rage."

Perseus twisted his upper-body, bringing his right arm back to where it pointed up at the sky. His body was covered in the sea-green glow of his Yoki, and his arm swelled with power. With a thunderous roar, he brought his fist down upon the earth, impacting the asphalt of the road with all the force of a crashing moon.

Massive fissures ripped out across the plains for miles, the shockwave tearing apart field after field, destroying the land and the crops, obliterating all vegetation, and the road. A mushroom cloud of dirt rose high into the air, a brown mist blanketing the area. Up in the sky, the _Argo II_ rocked and listed under the air waves, its crew members staring at the destruction in shock.

When everything seemed to calm down, Perseus suddenly appeared on the deck, and he did not look happy. He thundered across the ship, saying aloud, "Set course for Atlanta, Georgia," before disappearing into the lower decks. The slamming of a door denoted that he had entered his cabin.

Leo was too scared to do anything _but_ set course for the city.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that night_

Perseus had spent the entire rest of the day in his cabin, trying to reign back in his fury. Fucking Earth Goddess! Fucking Marriage Goddess! The demigods could've handled this all by themselves. Sure it would've been difficult, but they would've managed. They didn't need his help.

Except now they _did_ need his help.

Gaea wouldn't have bluffed about making her children stronger, but now they've only gone from annoying mosquito, to annoying wasp. Still insignificant, but now with a little more sting. Perseus had a feeling that he was now the only one that had any shot of success against the giants now.

He had tried to take a nap, but even after 100 years, the soft cushiony surface might as well have been jagged rocks for all the comfort it provided. Instead, he took off his toga, folded it neatly, leaving him in his black jeans, drew his claymore, stabbed it into the wood, and rested his back against it.

Piper had tried using her Charmspeak to get him to come to the evening meeting in the mess hall. It almost worked, before his Yoki flared up in response to the magic, and the entire ship almost exploded from the sudden pressure.

They left him alone after that.

By some miracle, he did fall asleep, only to dream of Otis and Ephialtes. They looked even more retarded than Polybotes did in that smaller form of his, but the Leviathan could sense, even in the dream, that the twins were restricting their power. They spoke about destroying Rome in the dumbest ways imaginable, and Perseus' patience ran out for them long ago.

Eventually, they did leave, and now it was just the Purple Butcher and the bronze jar. Perseus willed himself forward, into the jar. Inside was Nico, his sword, and a bunch of seeds on the bottom. Scratched into the side of the jar were three lines. Three seeds were different than the rest.

It wasn't hard to figure out the situation. Nico had been captured, he was bait, he'd been in this thing for three days, and his survival was tied to the seeds at his feet. The Abyssal Lord would've readily left the brat in there to die, if he didn't possess the knowledge necessary to find the Doors of Death.

Little bastard had lied to Perseus, and had run off before questions could be answered.

"Percy…"

Heterochromic eyes snapped open, glowing in the low light. The Leviathan detected a distinct lack of godly aura anywhere, which meant that Annabeth had woken him up in the middle of the night for some reason.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, I want to show you something."

"I don't think 'Seaweed Brain' applies to me anymore, _Wise Girl_."

Annabeth lead the shirtless Leviathan through the bowels of the ship, passing all manner of rooms and alcoves. Soon enough, they made it to the back of the ship. It appeared to be the stables, with hay and wool blankets everywhere, and empty horse stalls. The stunning thing was that the entire floor was just a thick pane of glass.

Below them, the black landscape zoomed past, with illuminated highways giving the appearance of a spider-web.

Annabeth grabbed a blanket from the nearest stall, and laid it out on the glass. Perseus got the message and sat next to her. The daughter of Athena slowly leaned over to rest her head on his bare shoulder, testing the waters. Perseus allowed this, and slid his arm around her, holding her close.

Perseus had promised to try to love her, and this was how people showed romantic love, yes?

"You know what I love more about this place, other than the view? What does this all remind you of?"

Perseus thought for a moment. The smell of hay, darkness, being on a quest, the two of them sitting together…ah yes. "The zoo truck, on our way to Las Vegas to confront my uncle."

Annabeth smiled. "Hard to believe that we were _twelve_ , then."

"Indeed. Not even out of elementary school, and we were saving the world. It was only four years ago for you, but it was lifetime ago for me," Perseus said nostalgically. "Ah, the things that have changed since then."

Annabeth was now realizing just what it meant to be over a century old. Perseus sounded every bit of his 130-something years. It was hard to believe that _this_ was the same boy that she had a crush on since they first met. The unintentional one-liners and quips, the goofy smile, the messy hair…all gone.

Replaced with the Leviathan.

"What's it like," Annabeth said, "to have Yoki?"

Percy looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He shifted the girl around, to where she was now sitting in his lap, with his head resting on hers. Annabeth wasn't complaining.

"Coming from someone who's had it for decades, it feels just as natural as blood. But, comparing it to before I was spliced with the Asarakam, I guess it feels like _this_ all the time." Perseus' hands began to roam, his left beginning to cup Annabeth's breast, while the right began to work on her inner thigh, moving up.

"The feeling of it running through your being," the Abyssal Lord whispered in Annabeth's ear, making her shiver, "is unlike anything you've ever experienced." His left hand was kneading now, while his right was slowly rubbing the spot in between Annabeth's legs. The girl gasped, but didn't fight. "The feeling of it in your muscles…in your bones…in your nerves…in your very flesh," his hand snaked up under her shirt, while his right began to slide down the waistband of her jean shorts, "sets the body on fire." Annabeth mewled softly, and the Leviathan asked lowly, "Do you want me to stop?"

Annabeth's answer was deeply influenced when she felt her panties get pushed to the side, and she felt something _enter_ , "N-no, don't."

"When you use Yoki, you feel like you can do anything. Run for miles, fight for days, and lift the heaviest of objects. But that all pales into comparison to what Awakening feels like." Annabeth's cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip, looking down and off to the side as she allowed her boyfriend's hands to work.

"Words can't describe what Awakening feels like, but I guess you can say…it feels…like… _this!"_

Annabeth's back arched, her legs crossed, and her eyes closed in pure bliss as the most wonderful feeling wracked her body. Perseus felt his finger get squeezed lightly as it became warm from the wetness that spilled all over it.

He brought his finger out and up to his lips. _'Ah…the sweet stuff.'_

Annabeth's heart hammered in her ears as she panted. "That was…my first…orgasm," she said breathlessly.

"Do you want to go further, tonight?"

It was tempting, so very, very tempting, but Annabeth wasn't ready to go all the way…not yet. "When you can say I love you, and say it with the truth, then I'll do it."

Perseus' eyes became clouded with _something_ , but Annabeth couldn't figure out what. Perhaps he was arguing with himself over whether or not he wanted to continue, debating if he wanted to wait or not. Finally, he closed his eyes, and opened them back up, clear of the previous haze.

"If that is what you want, then I shall accommodate you."

Annabeth fell peacefully asleep in the arms of her boyfriend that night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Frank raised a brow at the sight he came upon down in the stables. This was the last place he expected to find the 'missing' Perseus and Annabeth, but hey. You never know when the object of your search will pop up.

"Any reason you're interrupting us, Frank?" Perseus asked.

"The satyr's going crazy looking for you two. For some reason he believes you've been captured by monsters. Hazel and I find it too comical to argue with him. Everyone's in the mess hall waiting. Should I tell them that you two finally sealed the deal, or what?"

Annabeth groaned, and her head slowly peaked up from Perseus' body. Her eyes were narrowed, and her left brow was audibly twitching. "We did not have sex. Only cunnilingus."

"Cunni-what-us?"

"GO AWAY!"

Frank scrambled up the stairs, and Perseus chuckled. "That wasn't nice."

Annabeth grumbled, burying her head back in the pillows that where her boyfriend's pectorals. "What isn't going to be _nice_ is what I'm going to do to Hedge if he comes screaming at me with his baseball bat."

The two made their way to the mess hall, where they found Jason and Piper blushing lightly, Frank and Hazel beaming at them, Leo stroking his chin, muttering "Classic, classic," and Coach Hedge looked ready to blow a gasket, but a glare from the Abyssal Lord effectively cowed the annoying satyr.

"Dude. How did you get that scar?" Leo asked.

It was only then that Perseus remembered that he didn't have a shirt on. No point in lying. "I got when Dae the Mad Scientist cut me open, without anesthetics, and shoved a bunch of Asarakam flesh into my body. Hurt like hell."

"Asarakam?"

"Creature that gave me my powers."

"Cooooool. Where can I get me some of that?"

"In another dimension. Either on a continent filled to the brim with monsters that make the giants look like bitches, or inside the most fortified stronghold guarded by Claymores."

"Sweet. I'll start making some really big guns, then."

"Moving from the Mexican elf's delusions, I believe now is the time for explanations about what happened yesterday, hm?" A round of nods. Perseus recounted his conversation with Dionysus, Gaea, and the dream he had of the giant twins, as well as Nico di Angelo.

"He's in a death trance," Hazel said, her cheeks pale. "The seeds are a last resort food. In his current condition, he has only a few more days left."

"So we're willingly walking into a trap for this guy?" Leo asked. "I mean, this is the same kid who knew about both camps, went between them, and didn't tell anybody."

"Leo's got a point," Jason said. "Are we sure Nico can be trusted?"

Hazel looked ready for war, but Perseus stepped in with all the authority of the emperor. "Irrelevant. Nico has information about the Doors that we desperately need. The giant's trap is pitiful at worst, laughable at best. And if the son of Hades tries to trick us, I'll make him regret it."

"Percy…"

"No, Hazel. I also have a bone to pick with my cousin, but death by asphyxiation is not something I will leave him to. You have my word." No one else brought up that topic again. "Are we close to Atlanta?"

"Almost there. Probably another hour or so," Leo answered.

"Good. Frank, Hedge, you two are with me. The rest of you, guard the ship and help Leo with any repairs or maintenance that needs to be done. If that's all, then we're all free to go about our business."

"Finally! A chance to bust some heads. I've been practicing my roundhouse kick."

Frank just nodded.

When Perseus left the mess hall, alone, Jason allowed the scowl he had been suppressing to finally break free. It startled everyone, and Piper placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Jason snarled. "I'm pissed and I don't know why. Just something about that guy rubs me wrong."

"It's your fatal flaw," Annabeth said nonchalantly. "Thalia has the same problem: ambition. You're the son of Jupiter, so it's only natural that you're the one in charge, the one leading, not being lead. Percy being the unspoken commander, as well as the emperor of New Rome, burns you up inside, because you subconsciously want that power, and that position."

"Keh. Well, how do I _stop_ being jealous? It might be my fatal flaw or whatever, but I know it's irrational."

"I can't tell you how to beat your nature, but I can give you a warning. If you ever lose it and challenge Percy to fight for command, or whatever, you will probably die. Food for thought," Annabeth left the mess hall.

"She's got a point," Frank said, before he and Hazel left.

"I think Percy's cool. Ya 'know, in that suave, badass, I'm-stronger-than-you-and-I-know-it kind of way."

"Not helping, Leo."

"Of course I am, Pipes. I'm always helping out wherever I can, whenever I can." Leo left too, leaving only Piper and Jason.

Jason looked at Piper, and her heart went out to him. Poor boy looked so lost right now. "I need help, Pipes. Can you keep me in check? Make sure I don't do something stupid? I think Perseus has gone off the deep end, but I know he's a powerful guy that _deserves_ to be the leader, and I don't want to screw everything up."

Piper smiled, elated that Jason was asking her for help in this. "Of course I will, Jason. I'm your girlfriend, after all."

Jason leaned down, and the two shared a most vigorous kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leo parked the canoe on the same hill that some man named 'Sherman' once stood on. Apparently, the man was a general in some army, and he carved a literal warpath from here to the Atlantic Ocean. Sounded like a cool guy.

Perseus was dressed in black jeans, black Nikes, and his black-with-white-stitching bubble vest, with his pendant hanging visibly around his neck. Frank was wearing a purple tracksuit, and Hedge had on an orange shirt, jeans, and specially-made shoes for his hooves.

After everyone made their kisses goodbye, the three were off for the Georgia Aquarium. It didn't take long, considering the Leviathan could sense Phorcys' aura. It was big, and that was good. Maybe there would be some entertainment on this little side trip.

Walking into the aquarium, everyone was made aware of the daycares and families crowding the place. Perseus couldn't care less if they got in the way, because he would slaughter them all without hesitation; he had done it before. Frank pursed his lips, not liking the potential collateral damage. Hedge scowled; despite all his hard-talk, he abhorred the deaths of mortals.

"I can sense two auras, in the back."

"I don't think we have enough money to get in."

"Frank. We're the children of gods, and a battle-hungry satyr…why the fuck do we need money?"

"An excellent point, my emperor."

The three of them strolled forward, ignoring the protesting parents and the whining children. When they reached the ticket queue, security tried stop them. When Frank grabbed one of the burliest ones there, and effortlessly hurled the 250lb muscle mountain clear across the lobby, people backed off real fast.

Of course, the police would most likely be there soon, and even Perseus understood why slaughtering law enforcement officers would be a bad thing to do, so they had to make this trip fast. Frank and Hedge followed the Leviathan as he expertly wound his way through the aquarium.

Eventually, they came across an exhibit called _DEATH IN THE DEEP SEA_. Standing in front of the exhibit entrance was a woman, who looked nervous. Her name tag read KATE, but Perseus could sense that she was beyond human. And the aura further in must belong to Phorcys.

"Greetings," Perseus said. "We're looking for information on the giant twins, Otis and Ephialtes, as well as the Mark of Athena. We were told that Phorcys would be able to help us."

"Uh…" the woman hesitated.

"Oh that's alright," Perseus punched a hole through Kate's face. "We don't actually need you." The woman turned into a pile of golden dust. "Stay on guard, you two. Phorcys may be difficult to coerce into talking."

Frank drew his Spartus spear, complete with two charges, and Hedge materialized his baseball bat from Hammerspace.

They entered the exhibit, walking cautiously past tanks displaying telekhines, Nereids, various sea monsters, and whale sharks. Eventually, they came upon a large open exhibit with a large, empty tank off to the right. Standing in the middle of the exhibit was a man standing like a crab, dressed in a wetsuit.

His legs were bent at 90-degree angles, and angles outward. His arms were bent at the elbow ad pointed up, like he was holding a tray, but his little, ring, and middle fingers were curled in, while his pointer and thumb were splayed out like pincers. His eyes were lopsided, and his mouth was pulled into smile. Smile being more like his face was being sucked back by a wind tunnel.

"I trust you are Phorcys, then?"

The crab man clapped his fingers together. "I am. I trust you are Perseus Jackson, the Leviathan?" his voice was deceptively deep for his appearance. It sounded like Trigon's voice from _Teen Titans_.

"You are well informed, Sea God. Do you know why we are here?"

"You seek information on Otis and Ephialtes, and the Mark of Athena."

"Good. Are you going to do the polite thing, and help out a few weary travelers? Or are we going to endure conflict between each other?"

Phorcys' milky-blue eyes glowed. "My mother has promised me that I get to keep any demigods that come across me, and you are no exception. You also just killed my wife. It will take her years to reform properly, despite her being an ancient goddess."

"Ah. Royal beat down it is, then."

"Wait. Despite my overwhelming desire to see you destroyed, Jackson, I know that I can't defeat you, and I won't fight destroy my aquarium just to fight a losing battle. The twins are planning to destroy Rome on the Kalends of July, along with killing the demigod son of Hades, Nico di Angelo. There is a map located at Fort Sumter, hidden, that will lead the Athena-spawn down the path to her doom."

Perseus bowed, wide grin plastered. "Thank you Phorcys. You've been most helpful." As the trio began to leave the aquarium, the Sea God cried out, "Beware the oceans, son of Poseidon! For you will find no peace there, nor respite! My children shall torment you until the end of time! I swear it on the Styx!"

Thunder boomed, and Perseus whirled around, irritation on his face. "And I swear on the Styx that after I defeat Gaea, I'm coming back for _you_."

This time, the soundwave cracked the glass of every exhibit in the Georgia Aquarium.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Getting back to the _Argo II_ was child's play for the trio. Frank transformed into a fly, and flew out. Hedge found a back exit and effortlessly blended into the crowd. And Perseus was simply too fast to be seen.

The _Argo II_ lifted off and sailed away for Fort Sumter without a problem. They arrived at the old fort in a matter of hours. The Mist was working in their favor, since none of the tourists seemed to register the Greek warship hovering overhead. Maybe they thought it was a blimp.

Perseus had asked Annabeth if she wanted help, but the stubborn girl, while touched, declined, insisting that she had to do it alone. With that, she climbed down the rope ladder to the fort. The Leviathan kept a close eye on her with his Yoki-sensing, which had adapted to magical energies as well, and his eyes.

He had _really_ good vision.

Annabeth seemed to get lost, because she entered a small building that might have once been a part of the barracks. She emerged looking shaken up and pale, and Perseus _knew_ that she had just had a run in with Gaea. The daughter of Athena then made a beeline for an artillery unit, shoved her arm down the barrel after removing the lid, and pulled out with some kind of disc.

When she got back to the _Argo II_ , she promised to tell Perseus what had happened later, but now there was nothing stopping them from continuing on their quest.

Leo hit the controls, and the Prophecy of Seven headed out to the Mare Nostrum.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Chapter 21 ladies and gentlemen. I can't tell if this is really a cliffhanger or not, but this is the last chapter for a while. Xenomorphic will be updated next, but I'm going to a waterpark tomorrow with my mom, little sister, and my grandfather (Dad had to work, unfortunately) so I have no idea when I'm going to be able to sit down and write tomorrow.**_

 _ **If the ending seemed rushed, that's because the whole Charlestown plot was centered around attacking Romans, and godly identity crises. With Aphrodite having no need to have a girls' chat, and the distinct lack hostiles in purple, there was no reason to give Annabeth a hard time in finding the disc, other than her run-in with the spiders.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review please!**_


	22. One Thing After Another

_One Thing After Another_

 _ **Whew. I knew updates were going to get sporadic, but even**_ _ **I**_ _ **think this is ridiculous. I am terribly sorry for this absence, but in the wake of school all day, and then driver's ed at night, time to sit down and type away is almost nonexistent.**_

 _ **I also apologize for not updating Ghoul, but I'm not feeling that story right now. I was feeling Leviathan, so here it is.**_

 _ **P.S. I discovered a new song on YouTube called**_ _ **Overdrive**_ _ **, by a group called LAZERHAWK. It's an 80s retro instrumental pop, that sounds amazing. Go listen to it, tell me what you think.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The _Argo II_ was tearing the Atlantic Ocean a new asshole. Combine the powers of Jason and Perseus, along with the magic canoe's propulsion system, and nature itself bowed to the whims of the god-children. The wind roared into the sails, the waves stilled, and the currents were being redirected to push Leo's creation forward.

Despite the speed of the _Argo II_ , everyone on board was perfectly fine. Except for Hazel. Hazel was trying hard not to release her lunch from the wrong opening. Currently, she was succeeding.

Jason was standing at the stern, hands thrust at the sails. Perseus was at the prow, standing with his arms crossed. His toga flapped epically behind him in the wind, revealing his black sweatpants and white sneakers.

They kept this pace for hours, even as night fell, the sun rose, and night fell again. Only then did Jason's energy finally reach its limits. The Leviathan had to wonder if overexposure to his aura somehow increased a demigod's powers, because there was no way Grace would've pulled off a feat like that a few days ago. Oh well, food for thought later.

Leo remained on deck with Hazel. Frank decided to go sharpen his Spartus spear, confident in the relationship between him and his girlfriend. Jason and Piper went below deck to do something together, and the Abyssal Lord knew it was not intimate. In all the time he had been here, he had not _once_ sensed those two do anything to each other.

Weren't teenagers supposed to have raging hormones that demanded sexual attention? Were those two waiting for marriage? They did realize that they might _die_ on this quest, right? Boy, when Perseus was their age, he was hunting down top ranked Claymores and feasting on their fresh corpses.

Annabeth had also chosen to go to her cabin, saying she was going to study the disc some more…right. And Perseus was going to say the Huntress's oath of eternal maidenhood just for shits and giggles.

…oh, Hazel was pulling Leo down into some dream of the past, while Hedge steered. With everyone otherwise preoccupied, Perseus decided to lose himself in thought.

For starters, he was getting hungry. Eating several pounds of magic steak was the equivalent of a small bag of chips for him, and he was burning through that bare amount of fuel by using his divine powers. Worse, the demigods surrounding him smelled awfully delicious, but he wasn't going to eat them…maybe. He once ate an entire town to satiate his hunger. Granted, he hadn't eaten in over a year that time, but it was still a serious issue.

Another thing, despite the stupidity of Phorcys, the old god had promised to send monsters. There had been no monsters, and that was a cause for great concern. Gods were not known for making promises and not keeping them…Big Three Oath notwithstanding. Perseus wasn't really worried (he doubted every sea monster out there would be little more than a minor annoyance), but the lack of action was weary-worthy.

Thirdly, Gaea's threat on Clare. If the goddess was truly willing to get the girl and use her as leverage against the Wide Smile, he would comply, simple as that. He would loathe it, but if it meant Clare's safety, he would do it…for himself, and Teresa. He had sinking feeling in his gut that _that_ was what Gaea was going to do. The very thought of it made Perseus' eyes burn gold-

BAM!

Something rammed into the side of the ship, making the Lord of the Abyss stumble. The rest of the Seven came scrambling up moments later, weapons out. Hazel and Leo were ripped out of their shared dream, and Hedge was screaming about his baseball bat.

The Purple Butcher himself felt somewhat relieved. Finally, Phorcys delivering on his promise of sea monsters. This one was almost as large as the _Argo II_ , was pink, looked like it had a shrimp's body, millipede legs, a catfish's head, and enough tentacles coming out of its nostrils to be a hentai star.

Perfect. Something to ease the growing frustration.

'Course, they were at sea, which was Perseus' element.

This wasn't going to be much of a fight.

While the demigods fought against the creature, Perseus crouched low, before rocketing off the ship with enough force to send it into the waves before it bobbed back up. The Purple Butcher sailed through the air, peaked, began to roll as he descended, before straightening out and torpedoing right down on top of the monster's armored back.

Surprisingly, instead of blowing a hole straight through, the creature was actually just shot down into the water about five hundred feet instantaneously, with Perseus standing on top of it. Unfortunately for the creature, the Leviathan was now right at home, drenched in what boosted his power to absurd levels.

In any other circumstance, humans would be dead at this depth, but regardless of pressure here, if any human looked down beneath them in the deep, and saw a massive, roiling creature surging up at them, jaws wide, they piss themselves. However, when you're Perseus, and surrounded by water, you don't have that fear.

The Leviathan pointed at the creature, and the water surrounding it immediately became like a vice, stopping it cold…about ten feet away from the Wide Smile. With a cruel smirk, he propelled the creature up, up, up and out of the water like submarine-launched missile. Ascending even faster than that, the Leviathan exploded upward, shifted his arms into his blades, and _sliced_ the falling monster apart into four pieces.

From this height, all that hit the water was a tremendous amount of golden dust.

Percy dived back down, commanded the water to shoot him to the _Argo II_ , sprung out and onto the deck, perfectly dry, and looked at all the stunned faces of his questmates. He raised a brow.

"What? We're at sea here. Why waste the time trying to fight monsters, when I have an ocean ten feet away from me? Come on, stupids, logic."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next interesting thing to happen, was that a cruise ship thought it was a good idea to blow their horn full blast from about 100 feet away from the _Argo II_ , which shook Perseus awake from his nap. It took a copious amount of persuasion from just about everyone on board to convince the Leviathan to _not_ capsize the massive vessel.

Still, that did not stop him from making it list to port, which made everyone on the cruise ship to panic massively.

After that, the Seven entered the Mare Nostrum, aka the Mediterranean Sea. To the left, was something called the Rock of Gibberish, and to the right, was a bunch of mountains belonging to a place called Africa. Strange names, those. Perseus would just call them big rocks and get the day over with but hey, people and their naming of things.

Of course, entering the Mare Nostrum brought forth another semi potential problem.

"That guy in the purple…He feels strong. I want to fight him."

"Ah, Percy," Annabeth hesitated, endlessly amazed by her boyfriend's amazingly childlike thought process. "That's probably Hercules, the most powerful demigod of all time."

Perseus slowly turned to look at her.

" _One of_ the most powerful demigods of all time," Annabeth coughed. "He's probably guarding the entrance to the Ancient Lands, so we'll need to meet him. He's most likely expecting us to, anyway."

"Oh, well if that's all…" WHOOSH

"No! Wait! Percy! Ugh, why does a hundred-plus year-old-being have to act worse than a child on a sugar rush?"

Piper just patted her friend on the back, a sage-like look on her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus suddenly materialized in front of a rather stunned Hercules.

"Hi there. My companions and I were hoping to get past here and continue on our quest to stop Gaea from rising, and prevent the giant twins from blowing up Rome. What you say about this is undeniably irrelevant, but I just thought you should know." The Abyssal Lord smirked, "Oh, and Hera sent me to tell you that you're a fourth-rate minor god, and that Megara was a two-bit whore, and that your children weren't even yours."

A fist slammed into Perseus' cheek in an instant. The effects from the godly blow of Hercules were immediate. A sound like thunder tore across the strait. The sand was flattened into a perfect surface. And the Leviathan? He had to _step back_ in order to not fall. Now _that_ was some power.

With Hercules' hand firmly imbedded in his cheek, the flesh of the Wide Smile had been smushed into a very strange appearance. Namely, his teeth were visible, his left eye was forced shut, and his skin was pushed aside. A sea-green eye cracked open, and began to dart between the fist in his face, and the shocked look of Hercules. Fist. Hercules. Fist. Hercules. Fist. Hercules.

"Akually, vat las pawt vas uh vie," The First Number One's speech was impeded by his inability to form proper lip movements, but that was all fixed by a Sparta kick to the chest. The god was sent tearing a trench across the island. "But that's not important right now, is it?"

 _Meanwhile, on the_ Argo II

"Did he just piss off Hercules?"

"Yes."

"Did he just take a punch from the strongest demigod of all time without flinching?"

"Actually, he did have to shift his weight."

"Did he just kick Hercules in the chest, and send him flying across the island?"

"Yes, Leo."

"That confirms it, Annabeth. Your boyfriend is officially the most badass person on the planet."

Frank snorted. "Should've seen him fight Polybotes' army on our way up to Alaska. Now _that_ was badass."

 _Back with powerful people_

Hercules screamed bloody murder as he sailed through the air, fist drawn back. The Leviathan just smirked, and stepped back. The shockwave from the impact ruffled his toga. He ducked to avoid the left cross, tilted his head to dodge the right jab (which tussled his hair), and leaned back to render the left uppercut harmless. Well, the force behind the attack _did_ create a tailwind that made the muscles on his face do an interesting upwards jiggle.

Then the First Number One went on the offensive…by disappearing and slugging Hercules in the face with an (un)intentional Yoki-enhanced blow…which sent the god skipping across the island, bouncing across the sea like a stone, before _slamming_ into the mystical Rock of Gibberish, reducing it the Pile of Gibberish Rubble.

Perseus frowned, like a little kid that was just told he couldn't have ice cream. He didn't think it was going to be that easy. Hercules was supposed to be the strongest of the strong. Granted, the Abyssal Lord had packed a good 75% of his Yoki into that blow, the force of which was increased due to his speed, but he thought that Hercules would dish it out without too much of an issue.

Well, if points were to be given to the son of Zeus, he was durable enough that all of the skin on Perseus' hand had been obliterated from the force.

But the smoking limb had already regenerated so the point was mute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perhaps the most vexing thing so far for Perseus, was his idiot half-brother.

The day was calm. There was an ultra-thick fog. Leo was steering, Hedge was practicing his kicks, Jason and Piper were on deck, Frank and Hazel were below, getting it on, Annabeth was studying her disc in her cabin some more, and Perseus was taking another nap. Because he felt like it.

Then, out of the blue, another Greek trireme came sailing out of the fog, black sails with gorgons' heads proudly decorated, and rammed into the smaller _Argo II_. Perseus slept through that.

The crewmen of the enemy ship threw grapple lines, lowered planks, drew swords, chattered endlessly, and took the ship. The ones on deck fought valiantly, but they were overwhelmed by numbers and subdued. Hedge was bound and gagged, as was Piper; Jason was just bound. Leo joined his friends. The crewmen, strange, dolphin-men hybrids were led by a helmeted man decked out in golden armor named Chrysaor, stormed downstairs. Apparently, they were stronger than they looked, because they came back moments later with semi-conscious Annabeth, and rather embarrassed Frank and Hazel…who weren't wearing any tops. Period. No shirt, undershirt, bra, nothing.

The other demigods blushed furiously, not used to seeing such nakedness. The dolphin men chattered and leered, while Chrysaor seemed to be eyeing the topless Hazel. More than a few blades to the throat kept an angry Frank from doing anything too rash.

That's when things got… _dicey_.

As in slice and dice.

"So these are six out of the seven most powerful half-bloods of the age? I am unimpressed," Chrysaor sneered. "However, where is the seventh?"

Instead of answering, a number of dolphin people raced back down into the hull, there was a sound like shuffling, a door being slammed open, and then a thunderous cry of the ever so eloquent, _"WHAT THE F*CK!?"_

And then a pond's worth of blood suddenly erupted from the door, along with a good number of fleshy bits. Coach Hedge grinned madly, Frank smirked, Hazel's eyes gleamed with malicious glee, Jason turned white as a sheet, Leo actually threw up, Annabeth had a grim expression, and Piper did something she hadn't done since she was a rebellious toddler that had potty issues and a lack of attention from her dad: she took a dump in her pants.

The smell was unconsciously ignored by all in favor of the site of Perseus stalking up the stairs. He was clad only in loose-fitting blue pajama pants, his eye twitched, his dual-colored hair was a tangled rat's nest, and he was holding the biggest sword _ever_ in his right hand. He did not look happy. Hey…did he always look that skinny?

"I was in the middle of a rather peaceful sleep. No dreams, no tossing and turning, and no desperately trying to find a comfortable position. However," the Leviathan's voice took a deeper, gravellier turn, "I was awoken by my peaceful slumber by a bunch of anthropomorphic _dolphins_ led by some _Momma's Boy_ with a gold fetish." His face contorted into one of abject rage.

" _I WILL F**CKING MURDER YOU!"_

The force behind the bellow was enough to knock several dolphin-people over, and even more to go skidding back across the deck. Perseus roared as he began to chop opponents apart left and right. He wasn't even moving with speed, he was just wading through adversaries with his massive sword, cleaving through shields, armor, flesh and bone with disturbing ease.

At Chrysaor's urging, about twenty dolphin-men rushed forward. Heterochromic eyes zeroed in on fresh meat, and with a single swipe of his blade, decapitated all of them. The resulting splatter of blood showered the rest of the Seven in crimson.

Seeing this, Perseus took a deep breath to calm himself before he lost control and ripped this entire ship apart like a piñata. He regarded the shaking Chrysaor with a sharp look. "Sorry about that," he said coolly. "I'm usually far more composed. I'm just a little bit- _absolutely livid_."

And that was all the warning the Golden Sword got, before Perseus was suddenly behind them all. Then everyone fell apart into bloody chunks of meat.

"Well that was annoying." The Wide Smile shifted his weight, causing the _Argo II_ to list violently, but this also caused water to spill on deck, which washed away the gore. A few more listings like this, and the deck was almost shining again. Perseus hummed some kind of tune as he walked back to the cabins, before he stopped suddenly. "Oh, I almost forgot."

He raised his hand at the black trireme, before he clenched his fist.

The ship imploded before sinking to the deep.

"Bacchus, consider that insurance that your pasty pale ass is at Rome in time for the battle, or I will not be happy with you." Perseus looked at his companions, cocking a brow, "Frank, Hazel, get back down there and finish what you started. Leo, burn the ropes and get this thing flying. Hedge…ehh, someone help him out. Jason, quit looking so pale. Piper, you remind me of Noel. Annabeth, go back to sleep. We're almost to Rome."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later_

The _Argo II_ descended in the middle of some field in Rome.

The city was large, winding, and chaotic. In all honesty, Perseus was impressed, highly so, but he wasn't feeling the majesty. Oh no, no, this was where Annabeth— _his_ Annabeth, he had finally accepted—was supposed to go on a personal death quest for the Athena Parthenos, and fight against the spider, Arachne.

And the stupid girl _insisted_ on doing it alone.

"Hazel, can you find Nico from here?" Perseus asked, his eyes narrowed as he stared out over Rome, dressed in his royal purple toga, black jeans, and black shoes. Minus the shirt. He looked every part the emperor he was supposed to be.

"Not from this exact point, no. But I can probably get a better read if I walk around some." Hazel answered evenly.

Perseus nodded. "Very well then. Frank, Leo, you're with Hazel. Jason, Piper, and Hedge, guard the ship and protect it from anything nasty. Annabeth," he hesitated, "let's go."

The two wound their way through the bustling city, dodging crowds, avoiding cars, and causing massive flocks of pigeons to fly into the air. They hit dead ends, roundabouts, cul-de-sacs, tried to go to the Colosseum, but there was some weird mortal shit going on there, so they made headway for the Tiber River.

If anyone cared about a shirtless, toga-wearing boy and his short jean-shorts-with-orange-shirt-wearing girlfriend, they did not comment.

They stood together on a stone bridge that stood proudly. The river itself was wide, lazy, and looked like caramel.

"What do we do now?" Annabeth asked. This _was_ the place in which the map had led her to.

Perseus, sensing the naiads in the water dart away, said, "We wait for Tiberinus to arrive. Come on, let's have some lunch."

There was a little restaurant off to the side, one that the two demigods decided to eat at. The waiter looked like a classic Italian, and had a strained smile on his face when asked for pizza and a Coke. He looked more relaxed when Annabeth ordered a panini and a fizzy water.

Pizza and a Coke…if you had said those words to Perseus about a month ago, he would've looked at you strangely, before chowing down on your corpse.

"You know that you don't have to do this alone."

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend with pained grey eyes. "I do, Percy. Believe me, I don't want to do this, but I have to. For my mother, my family, and for our world."

"Your pride betrays you," Perseus responded. His century of life and experience among humans showing through in its rare moments.

"You insist that you must do this, yet you truly do not have to. Your mother has pressured you into this because she is not strong enough to pull herself together. Like every child, you seek to prove yourself to Athena, but unlike every child, your mother is a goddess, and _I_ am your lover. And you know there is far more to being mine than just an inflated ego.

"After this farce of a war is dealt with, I _will_ be returning to my home, and I _will_ be starting my own war. Camp Half-Blood, New Rome, Olympus, Poseidon, Sally, Nico, Thalia, Tyson, and the rest can and will carry on without me. You've already… _we've_ already decided to stay together, be together, with you accepting my powers.

"When all is said and done, Athena, Cabin Six, your father, your step-mother, your half-siblings—all of them—and that cousin you've told me about, Magnus, will all be left behind…forever. So please," Percy almost _begged_ , "don't think that rescuing the Athena Parthenos is something you have to do alone, or even at all for that matter. Let me come with you, or let _me_ do it by myself. The chances of you dying are too great, and I don't want to fight all of the Underworld to rescue your soul. I lost you for over 100 years…don't make me lose you again."

Annabeth felt like her entire world was being rocked in the gently caress of a hurricane. Everything Percy had said was not only true, but it made the daughter of Athena's mind go into hyperdrive.

Perseus could very easily win this war by himself, as he had proven on many occasions. Polybotes, Alcyoneus, the eidolons, Bacchus, that brief run-in with Gaea, Keto, Phorcys, the Scolopendra, Hercules, and Chrysaor. The rest of the giants, hell, even Gaea herself, would probably be nothing more than an annoyance to deal with. And like he said, he was going to leave and take Annabeth with him back to the Claymore World.

So what _was_ the point in following the Mark of Athena? The Athena Parthenos was supposed to be able to heal some rift between the Greeks and Romans, but there was no rift; Emperor Perseus had seen to that. As for being giants' bane, the son of Poseidon had that well in hand.

Annabeth's fatal flaw is hubris; excessive, personal pride. Following the Mark would bring with it pain, suffering, and death, something that Annabeth didn't really want to experience (Percy was not kidding when he said he would destroy the Underworld in order to get her soul out) at this point in time. And was her mother really that important at this point in time, now? In probably just a few weeks, Annabeth would never see that woman again, and would probably end up outliving her to boot.

But on the other hand, it was Annabeth's duty as a child of Athena to follow the Mark, and attempt to save the statue. It was more than just hubris at hand here, it was honor, and love, and respect. As a daughter, it was Annabeth's job to help her mother, and not tarnish her name. Tarnishing Athena's name was not something Annabeth wanted to do; despite being the goddess's favorite daughter, that did not mean that Athena would not curse Annabeth for impertinence…which would result in Perseus ripping the Wisdom Goddess to shreds.

Then a little voice spoke in the back of Annabeth's head. _Stop living for others, and live for yourself._

Annabeth closed her eyes, thinking real hard over her next words. Finally, she had an answer for her lover.

"I…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Yes, I know, cliffhanger right after a long absence. But I do want to know: is Percy going to follow the Mark? Or will Annabeth continue with canon?**_

 _ **With either choice presents a unique storyline that will be fun to write, and probably more enjoyable to read.**_

 _ **Also, speaking of fun to write, with life now playing a disastrous factor in my daily schedule now, I will be working on whatever story is my fancy at the moment. That means that Backup Plan would updated three times, then Xenomorphic only once, and Leviathan twice, skipping out Ghoul entirely, then going back to Xenomorphic for a couple of chapters, and so on and so forth.**_

 _ **Again, sorry for the massively overdue chapter, but here you go.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	23. The Mark of Severe Boredom

_The Mark of Severe Annoyance_

 _ **Oh, would you look at that,**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **is up and running again. I don't think anybody will complain, but still. This was running through my head, and I need a quote 'distraction' while I brainstorm how the upcoming**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **fight will go.**_

 _ **Due to my own twisted sense of humor, canon will be royally screwed like a five-buck whore on a street corner.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Annabeth looked at her boyfriend with pained grey eyes. "I do, Percy. Believe me, I don't want to do this, but I have to. For my mother, my family, and for our world."_

" _Your pride betrays you," Perseus responded. His century of life and experience among humans showing through in its rare moments._

" _You insist that you must do this, yet you truly do not have to. Your mother has pressured you into this because she is not strong enough to pull herself together. Like every child, you seek to prove yourself to Athena, but unlike every child, your mother is a goddess, and I am your lover. And you know there is far more to being mine than just an inflated ego._

" _After this farce of a war is dealt with, I will be returning to my home, and I will be starting my own war. Camp Half-Blood, New Rome, Olympus, Poseidon, Sally, Nico, Thalia, Tyson, and the rest can and will carry on without me. You've already…we've already decided to stay together, be together, with you accepting my powers._

" _When all is said and done, Athena, Cabin Six, your father, your step-mother, your half-siblings—all of them—and that cousin you've told me about, Magnus, will all be left behind…forever. So please," Percy almost begged, "don't think that rescuing the Athena Parthenos is something you have to do alone, or even at all for that matter. Let me come with you, or let me do it by myself. The chances of you dying are too great, and I don't want to fight all of the Underworld to rescue your soul. I lost you for over 100 years…don't make me lose you again."_

 _Annabeth felt like her entire world was being rocked in the gently caress of a hurricane. Everything Percy had said was not only true, but it made the daughter of Athena's mind go into hyperdrive._

 _Perseus could very easily win this war by himself, as he had proven on many occasions. Polybotes, Alcyoneus, the eidolons, Bacchus, that brief run-in with Gaea, Keto, Phorcys, the Scolopendra, Hercules, and Chrysaor. The rest of the giants, hell, even Gaea herself, would probably be nothing more than an annoyance to deal with. And like he said, he was going to leave and take Annabeth with him back to the Claymore World._

 _So what was the point in following the Mark of Athena? The Athena Parthenos was supposed to be able to heal some rift between the Greeks and Romans, but there was no rift; Emperor Perseus had seen to that. As for being giants' bane, the son of Poseidon had that well in hand._

 _Annabeth's fatal flaw is hubris; excessive, personal pride. Following the Mark would bring with it pain, suffering, and death, something that Annabeth didn't really want to experience (Percy was not kidding when he said he would destroy the Underworld in order to get her soul out) at this point in time. And was her mother really that important at this point in time, now? In probably just a few weeks, Annabeth would never see that woman again, and would probably end up outliving her to boot._

 _But on the other hand, it was Annabeth's duty as a child of Athena to follow the Mark, and attempt to save the statue. It was more than just hubris at hand here, it was honor, and love, and respect. As a daughter, it was Annabeth's job to help her mother, and not tarnish her name. Tarnishing Athena's name was not something Annabeth wanted to do; despite being the goddess's favorite daughter, that did not mean that Athena would not curse Annabeth for impertinence…which would result in Perseus ripping the Wisdom Goddess to shreds._

 _Then a little voice spoke in the back of Annabeth's head. Stop living for others, and live for yourself._

 _Annabeth closed her eyes, thinking real hard over her next words._ _Finally, she had an answer for her lover._

"I want to go after the Mark," Annabeth said with fire in her voice. Perseus stared at her with glowing green and silver eyes. The daughter of Athena forged on, giving her reason.

"I'm not doing it for my mom, or my siblings; I'm doing it for myself. I want to be able to face my fear in the eye, and completely dominate it. I want to confront Arachne, and beat her in her own lair. I want people a thousand years from now telling the story of how I stole back the Athena Parthenos," she finished with determined eyes.

Perseus stared at her for a good long while, and Annabeth felt that she had said the wrong thing, before her lover spoke. "A bold answer," Annabeth began to feel relieved, "however," and here came anxiety, "while deeply impressed, your hubris pours from you like a waterfall. Such pride will be your downfall, and I will not allow you to die because of an inflated ego."

Then Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn showed up on a moped.

Knowing that Annabeth would no doubt have some kind of rigorous counter-argument, considering she was a woman, and women were always right, unless they were wrong, which made you, the man, a jerk, Perseus used the momentary distraction of the arrival of the deities to vanish behind Annabeth, and knocked her out with a swift chop to the neck.

The deities blinked at what they just witnessed.

"Uh, you do realize that she's the one that has to go on the quest, yes?" the female asked.

Perseus fixed her with a gaze that could melt the polar ice caps. "Incorrect. _I_ will be going on the quest, and _you two_ will be taking Annabeth back to the _Argo II_. When you arrive, tell Jason and Piper to begin their part of the quest, and to take Annabeth with them. I'm also not at all in a good mood right now, so any bullshit on your parts will be met with less than pleasant reactions. Now, shoo."

In any other circumstance, the prideful gods would've punished such impudence with obliteration, but the reputation of Perseus Jackson preceded him. Tiberinus grabbed Annabeth, and sped off on his moped. Now, one might've realized that the Leviathan didn't ask for directions to the entrance of the quest. Simply put, he didn't need to.

He could easily sense the statue's restricted power emanating from the same direction as the Emmanuel Building, but he could also sense the faint magic that was originating from elsewhere in the city. Now, it would be all too easy rip apart the concrete Hulk-style, and haul up the statue with his bare hands, but where was the fun in solving every single problem with brute strength? He'd dealt with almost every problem in his life by using either his sword or his fist.

The Mark of Athena challenged the mind, and Perseus wanted to see just how sharp his brain was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus casually strolled down the steps to the underground, almost giddy with excitement as he contemplated what was in store for him down here. Probably nothing even able to be considered a vexation, but hey. You never knew when it came to this mythological stuff. Still, with him going after the Mark, that left the small issue of the giant twins to deal with.

With Gaea's apparent power-upping of her children, your average giant would be more than enough to fight several Olympians and win. That kind of power would instantaneously wipe out any demigod, but that point should be mute if Dionysus/Bacchus shows up with his A-game. Besides, if things went too far south, it would be not but a simple burst of speed to go save the day.

Perseus reached an old, wooden door with an iron knocker over a keyhole, and reached out to knock it down, only for an angry owl made of fire to burn (gently warm) his hand. Aw, that's adorable. Athena trying to tell him to go away without doing it in person. Silly bitch, bullshit is for gods!

The Lord of the Abyss kicked the door down.

He didn't really care what the inside looked like, only strolling through the space, hopping down to the lower section below, scanning around for an exit. He found it, heard running water, and promptly fell thirty feet to the ground below. Anyone else probably would've broken their ankle.

Looking around the dark cavern, keeping a close sixth eye on his friends across the city, another burning owl suddenly appeared, further down on the right. Nice try, Owl-Shit, but Perseus could sense a small pool of energy over to the left. Walking over, he discovered a hole in the wall.

Meh, he decided, and promptly walked through it without a care in the world…and fell flat on his face.

Dammit. There were supposed to be steps or something there, not a sudden six foot drop.

Come to think of it, that was probably the most difficult part of the 'quest' so far. Then again, the long drops from point A to point B were probably there to test one on how to safely get down. A mute challenge, when you're someone who could fall from thirty-thousand feet and walk away with maybe a broken leg or two, but injuries like that were instantly taken care of with a quick burst of Yoki aura.

Standing up and brushing himself and his toga off, Perseus, thanks to his superb night vision, surveyed the subway car-ish place he had face planted in. At his feet were tiled paintings, starting with a raven, then a bunch of men in various armor with various weapons, and then the rest had faded with time. Rankings, perhaps? Like military ranks? Or just pictures on the floor?

The chamber was being held up by ancient support beams, each one cracked and crumbling. It was a miracle this place still existed. Along the walls, paintings of random shit that Perseus didn't care about stood agedly, and at the far end of the room was an alter with a frieze depicting a man about to kill a bull with a knife.

On top of the alter was a stone statue of the same man in the freeze. In one hand he held a dagger, in the other was a torch. Was it important that his legs were incased in rock? Was he stuck? Sinking? Rising? Maybe all three?

Perseus took a step forward, and the sound of caving-in ribs (without the squish of the underlying organs) resounded around the small alcove. Huh, this skeleton wasn't here before, nor were the dozen or so extras lying about the floor. Some of them were burned and charred, others had corroding daggers somewhere close by.

So this was some kind of test. Looks like you have to choose one of the things the statue was holding; trial by fire or by blade…and something about the rock. These skeletons were most likely the only remains of children of Athena from ages long past that had failed this very quest. Perseus idly wondered if the goddess even cared about the children she had basically sent to their deaths by shoving them onto this quest.

Current track record denotes a negative answer.

Looking around, Perseus decided that whatever this was supposed to be was not worth his time, and made for the exit, which was the hole in which he had just come through. And the damn thing was suddenly gone. Yeah, that did not fly with the Leviathan. A brief grunt and a Yoki-enforced blow later (could never be too careful), and the bricks exploded outwards in a shower of dust.

The entire room shook and trembled as the ceiling collapsed, and as Perseus stepped out the hole, he heard the sound of desperate wailing and frantic screaming. He also sensed the presences of several Lares back in that room above. So maybe that room had a purpose after all.

Meh. Not his problem anymore.

Still, blowing that wall apart kinda defeated his whole purpose of being here in the first place, using his mind over his muscles…once again, meh. He was less than fifty meters away from the Parthenos, and he could sense the energy of Arachne up ahead.

Perseus leisurely strolled ahead without a care in the world. Even when he entered a pitch-black tunnel, the walls covered in unseen spider webs, and the sound of rushing water faded, only to be replaced with a soft cacophony of tiny, whispery voices, the Abyssal Lord still felt nothing but relaxed.

Seriously, what did _he_ have to fear of this world? His skin was already on par with the Curse of Achilles, his strength surpassed Hercules, his speed easily outstripped Hermes, his intelligence almost on par with Athena, and his authority made Zeus look like a student council president for an elementary school. He had a whole other level of power he had yet to fully reveal, he could sense everything going on within a fifty-mile radius without much of an issue, he could regenerate from just about everything (decapitation was still up in the air), and he could manipulate the divine auras of gods, demigods, monsters, spirits, etc.

There was _nothing_ that could challenge him, _nothing_ that could faze him, and _nothing_ that could hurt him. Artemis could call him arrogant all she wanted to, but he wasn't arrogant. He just knew how his power measured up against the denizens of this world, and all others were found wanting.

Perseus exited the tunnel, fully aware of the ocean of spiders following at a safe distance from behind. The chamber he was now in, was probably the size of a basketball court, with tapestries, ancient and faded ones, hanging from the walls, piles of lumber, almost like a barricade, near the entrance, and fifty-foot wide chasm splitting the room, with two narrow beams of wood spanning the distance. There was also a door at the other end, with Athena's burning owl shining subduedly over it.

It seemed as if the Wisdom Goddess realized that she couldn't stop him anymore.

This situation was clearly designed for one to figure out how to get across without dying. Considering the eyelets along the beams, and the piles of string next to the lumber, the logical conclusion, also considering that this was a test for Athena 'The Weaver's' children, was that one would have to _weave_ a path across the beams. Laugh at loud.

Perseus leapt across without a care in the world, casually sailing through the air to the other side, his toga billowing epically behind him like he was some kind of anime character. He landed silently, softly, and gracefully.

He smirked quietly to himself, before resuming his journey to the Parthenos. It didn't take long, no more than five minutes, until he entered a chamber the size of a cathedral. Even the Leviathan could appreciate this place's beauty.

Magical torches that were evenly spaced around the circumference of the chamber provided enough light to illuminate everything. The stone floor was covered in cracks, like a sheet of ice. Strands of silk as big as pillars spanned the chamber, connecting the floor to the far up ceiling, covered in even more spider webs and stalactites. Interestingly enough, in between each torch, was a tapestry depicting one thing or another, but the most concerning thing were the tapestries depicting his past with Annabeth.

Stalker spider.

Speaking of, in the middle of the chamber, was none other than the Athena Parthenos itself. 40ft tall, ivory skin, dress made of literal gold, human-sized statue of the victory goddess, Nike, in her right hand, with her left hand steadying a shield with a snake hiding behind it. Admittedly, it was a nice piece of construction, but Perseus didn't care much for the vibe it was putting off.

The Parthenos seemed to stare at him with accepting disdain, like it didn't like that it was being rescued by him, but was humble enough to accept that it was being rescued period.

Perseus scanned the chamber, and-ah. There she was, or rather, there _it_ was. Her Ladyship, Arachne. The spider-woman noticed that she had been found out, and lowered herself down for the ceiling on a strand of silk thick as a man. She was definitely a hideous creature, with her humanoid torso, gigantic spider-ass, bulging black eyes in the usual spot, with two more on her temples, both without eyelids, mouth-mandibles, needle teeth, claws, leg barbs, and her sickly sweet stench.

She could've passed as an Awakened Being, if she had golden, slitted eyes, and a substantial Yoki aura. Alas, the Weaver was just another monster. Perseus wondered how fast she would regenerate wounds since they were standing on top a chute straight to Tartarus. He probably would not get an answer.

"Why have _you_ come here!?" Arachne's voice sounded like an unhealthy mix of rasp, wheeze, death rattle, and diesel engine. "It was supposed to be Annabeth!" the spider howled.

Perseus just grinned. "Aw, am I not satisfying enough for you? Mad because you can't get revenge for what Athena did to you thousands of years ago? Or are you just sexually frustrated and the only way you relive yourself is with little girls?"

Arachne screeched loud enough to shake the chamber, before recklessly charging forward, heedless of the cracking floor. Perseus blew air out of his nose at how easy it was to incense the spider-thing, and at how her intelligence went out the window with a trivial insult. Maybe he hit too close to home? Or maybe Arachne was just angry all the time and nothing to vent at?

Either way, all Arachne pounced on was empty air. Even as dreadfully hungry as he was, Perseus was more than capable of dodging around the cavern, letting the Weaver destroy her own creation with her legs. The ground cracked at a worrying pace as Arachne errantly attacked everywhere the Wide Smile _wasn't_. The ceiling above trembled under the strength, and the silk strands warbled back and forth, slowly peeling apart.

After less than a five minutes of blurring around, Perseus noticed that Arachne's stamina had hit somewhere at 20%, and that she was heaving angrily. "Wow, I didn't expect much, but this is ridiculous. Even Otis and Ephialtes couldn't keep up against Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Bacchus."

"What? Couldn't?" Arachne wheezed.

"Oh yeah," Perseus examined his nail as lounged at Parthenos's base. "While I was down here, the others were taking care of the giants and saving Nico. Right now, the rest of the Seven are probably thirty seconds out and closing in fast."

Arachne spluttered and growled at the same time.

"Yeah. If I had to guess your biggest mistake, it would be not _helping them_ …that or the giant tusks."

" _I will fucking murder you!"_

"Whatever."

Then the roof exploded, sending concrete, cars, and a shrubbery cascading from above. The floor finally caved in as the massive changes in weight caused the silk support beams to finally rip apart, and Arachne to fall screaming down to Tartarus. Sunlight streamed in from above, and the silhouette of the _Argo II_ stood out proudly. Rope ladders descended, and the rest of the Seven, and Nico, came scrambling down. Hedge was steering the ship.

"Percy!" Annabeth threw her arms around her lover, and the Leviathan smiled faintly, hugging back. Annabeth pulled away, poking his chest roughly. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again."

"I'll do my best. Long story short, the Athena Parthenos is ours, Arachne is in Tartarus…this place is falling apart, we need to get the statue up and away, and the Doors of Death are calling~," Percy finished in a sing-song voice.

"Right. I have some rope, and we can probably fit the Parthenos in the pegasi stable," Leo said.

"Sweet. Everyone get to it."

Annabeth stayed by her future husband as the rest of the demigods wordlessly complied with the Leviathan's orders. While relieved that her lover was okay, and that Bacchus had come through remarkably well, she was still a little peeved about being knocked out and her chance at saving the Parthenos taken from her. It probably wouldn't matter sometime next month, but hey.

She was a girl. She was allowed to hold a grudge about things for an indefinite period of time.

Perseus and Annabeth just stood there, with Nico hanging around awkwardly to the side, as the other five most powerful demigods of the age hauled the Athena Parthenos up into the _Argo II's_ main cargo hold amid the chaos of the collapsing chamber. The statue was safely secured in no time, and that's when things got messy.

Annabeth yelped as she felt something suddenly latch on to her ankle, before the floor beneath her and Percy crumbled into oblivion, sending them both falling to their deaths…hah. The Leviathan's arm shot out, and the downward momentum was immediately halted by his claws.

Looking down, the Abyssal Lord rolled his eyes at seeing a strand of silk sticking to Annabeth's leg, leading all the way down to the darkness infinitely below. Nico's head suddenly popped up from above. "Percy! Annabeth!"

"Oh it's you. I need to have a really long chat with you, kid, about bailing out on me when I needed some really important questions answered."

Nico somehow managed to pale even further that what he already was.

"Percy! This chasm, it leads to Tartarus!" Annabeth said with a strained, fearful voice

"Thanks! As much fun as it would be to take a tour, I don't feel like it!"

"No! The Doors! They have to be closed from the opening in the mortal world, in Epirus, and from the other side! In Tartarus!"

"Oh." Perseus suddenly gained a very foreboding light in his heterochromic eyes, and Annabeth's heart stopped. He looked down at her with a smile, a warm, genuine smile. "I think I figured out what this thing you humans call love is."

"Percy…don't…" Annabeth whispered.

The Leviathan grinned madly, "Sorry, Annie, but I don't think Hell is a great place for a first date."

With a mighty heave, Perseus slung his arm up, sending Annabeth flying. Midflight, he severed the silk connected to her leg with a swipe of his arm. Annabeth landed next to the surprised Nico, before whipping around to stare at her dangling lover.

"Sorry, Annabeth. Looks we'll have to be separated for a bit longer. Make sure you get to Epirus in one piece, 'cause when I get back, I'm going to fuck your brains out."

Perseus let go of the chasm wall, cackling madly as he fell. The ancient prison for every Grecian monster and Titan, the home of the most powerful beings in mythology, the Bottomless Pit. Finally, perhaps maybe, the Wide Smile would find a worthy opponent, maybe even Tartarus himself, but even then…

…there was a reason why he was called the _Lord of the Abyss!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Yes. Perseus went after the Mark. Yes, it was easy and underwhelming. Were you really expecting something different, like his Yoki being sealed away, or Athena actually finding some way to stop him? Maybe in a parallel dimension, but not this one.**_

 _ **If the fight will Arachne was disappointing, once again, what were you expecting from an Over-Powered Percy this strong? For him to actually fight fairly in a display of honor? Psh, yeah right. And this year's presidential candidates are actually worth the effort of voting for.**_

 _ **On a side note, Perseus is going into Tartarus alone! How awesome is that!?**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	24. The Leviathan vs Everyone

_The Leviathan vs. Everyone_

 _ **I wasn't paying attention last chapter, but**_ _ **Leviathan**_ _ **has now officially hit over 300 reviews; that means that we've hit the next milestone! Now we're on the road to 400, and we'll probably be there in just a few short chapters.**_

 _ **And lucky you guys! Since this chapter is literally nothing but Percy fighting everything in the Pit, you can think of it as reward for helping me get to 300.**_

 _ **Also, I find myself growing restless with my four stories once again. I'm not promising anything, but**_ _ **Son of Jashin**_ _ **has been roaming around my head, lurking in my synapses.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Percy Jackson, or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Falling indefinitely, Perseus _quickly_ got bored. And, despite his power, experience, titles, and whatnot, he still had a rather nasty streak of childishness from being in that form for decades upon decades. So, what does a child do to entertain themselves when bored? Based on recent studies, they apparently find ways to prematurely masturbate, but that's more for the readers to look up for themselves than for the author to explain in depth.

No, what Perseus did to entertain himself, was play. He played with his arms, turning them into various shapes and sizes. He played with his tendrils, letting them shoot out from his back and jiggle around, trying out different forms for them too. He even brought his sword out and carved trenches on the side of the wall as he fell.

Still, all things must come to an end (besides himself), and color began to slowly return to the word. Almost quicker than it should have, the landscape of Tartarus became visible. Perseus was hardly impressed by what he saw, but he was positively throbbing at all the power he was sensing here.

Considering he had broken the sound barrier somewhere back up the tunnel, Perseus wasn't entirely keen and slamming straight into hostile ground at 800 miles an hour. That being said, he was able to spot a glistening stream of black far below and getting bigger.

A small burst of power, and the water responded by surging up and intercepting the Wide Smile, creating a rather comfortable break to his fall. Unfortunately, this water was probably just a few degrees above freezing, but that wasn't what Perseus found annoying; it was the damn _voices_.

 _You can't win. Just give up. Death will be so much easier. Death will be soft. Death will be-_

' _Bending over and grinding its ass against my magnum dong.'_

Perseus flared his Yoki, releasing a shockwave that blew apart the River Cocytus. The Leviathan stood on the riverbed, his body shrouded in sea-green energy as the black water swirled around him in a whirlpool. He leapt up, letting the waters crash back together as he landed on the beach of broken, black glass.

As the chaotic Cocytus calmed back down, the Wide Smile's mind also cleared. He was in _Tartarus_. Even here, he could sense the divine auras of three Titans, Polybotes, Enceladus, Alcyoneus, Ephialtes, Otis, and _thousands_ upon _thousands_ of various monsters. There was also something else, two things actually.

The first was millions of tiny little auras, almost impossible to discern from the haze and smog that were the monsters, but they were there, scattered all throughout Tartarus. Even over a hundred years later, even when he didn't have the acute sensing ability that he did now, Perseus could still recognize the divine aura of his dearly departed grandfather. He was going to pay one of those shards a visit.

The second thing Perseus sensed…was Tartarus. That wasn't saying much, but he could sense _Tartarus_ , as in the dark god of the pit. The Abyssal Lord could feel the presence of the Spirit of the Pit, and he was going to find a way to draw the spirit into a physical form…and fight him.

One did not simply fall into Tartarus, and not fight Tartarus himself.

That would just be a waste of time.

Speaking of time, Perseus, at least on a map, was in Rome, Italy. The Doors of Death were probably 50 miles _that_ way. However, the other side of the Doors was in Epirus, Greece. Now, the First Number 1 wasn't a geography expert, but he knew that Italy and Greece weren't exactly next door neighbors. And, considering all of the mishaps on a demigod quest, it would take Annabeth, and the rest of the Seven, several days to make it to Epirus…hopefully in one piece.

That left Perseus with a metric fuck-ton of free time on his hands. Let's see, Polybotes and other giants making their way across Tartarus with battalions of monsters, the massive gathering at the Doors of Death, that place _over there_ that radiated dark energy, or the millions of little pieces of Kronos? Ah, decisions, decisions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Leviathan casually strolled across the landscape of Hell, heedless to the acidic air, the oppressive aura, and the fast that his Nikes had been shredded. He didn't even realize he was walking barefoot across the black glass. He was hungry though.

What he had been doing, was collecting these little golden shards scattered about here and there, for the past five hours-ish. He wondered why monsters didn't come over and eat these things, but their loss was his gain.

Simply put, these shards were the last remaining pieces of the once proud Kronos, but each shard didn't have the power to form the consciousness that Perseus was looking to speak to. So he had brought together probably 12,000 shards, all of them combining into this cute little sphere the size of a bouncy ball.

The sphere pulsated with glowing light, and Perseus could sense that Kronos' mind and soul was starting to rebuild itself, but he didn't have enough power, not yet. So, the Leviathan simply sped up his gathering process. He became an incomprehensible blur across the hellish landscape, collecting hundreds of shards at a dizzying pace. He briefly entertained gathering _all_ of the shards, but that would take too long, even for him.

Millions was a big number.

After about 30 minutes of moving just shy of the sound barrier, Perseus collected enough shards to turn his bouncy ball-sized orb, into something roughly the size of a baseball. Finally, Kronos had enough essence to form coherent thoughts, emotions, memories, and words...though they were warbled.

" _You…"_ the Titan said in a weak voice. Even in his incomplete state, he still sounded like knives scraping across a chalkboard. _"What have you done?"_ Kronos rasped.

"Me? I've just reconstructed enough of your essence to host a formal conversation."

" _You should be dead. I saw you go through the portal."_

"Mmmm. I should be dead, yes. I should've been dead decades ago, yet here I stand."

" _Decades? You look no older than you did on Olympus…"_

The Leviathan chuckled. "That portal you sent me through...I came out the other end just fine, only I was bereft my memories and Achilles Curse, and I was somehow de-aged. That world that I ended up in made me _strong_ , stronger than even you, Grandfather."

" _Impossible…"_ Kronoswheezed.

"Is that so?" Perseus stared down at the orb he was holding, and let his Yoki aura rumble out. Tartarus shook slightly as it became bathed in light green as the ocean. The Wide Smile's eyes glowed their respective colors, becoming nothing orbs of green and silver.

Perseus, satisfied that his point had been made, reigned his Yoki back under control. "I guess I should thank you, Grandfather. Without your curse, I wouldn't have the power that I now have. Still, I'm not as forgiving as I once was, and you can count this as compensation for your transgressions against me."

Perseus began to use his absorption ability to suck the energy out of the golden orb. He gasped as his body was flooded with true divine power. His veins pulsed and bulged with golden energy, and his eyes shined with 24kt light. High winds blew from his body, drowning out his roar of primal power.

The golden energy surrounding the Leviathan faded, and his body steamed from his new power. The power of a Titan. More specifically, the power of Kronos. It was limited of course, since if Perseus could absorb all the power from something that he killed, he would've had enough Yoki to blow apart a planet. Still, that wasn't saying he was weak.

Glancing at the rock that was once an orb full of Kronos' essence, Perseus crushed it in his hand. Before the dust could fall to the ground, the Wide Smile focused hard, imagining everything slowing down. A golden aura spread out from his body encompassing an area of twenty meters. Within this transparent bubble of golden energy, the dust of the orb _slowly_ fell to the ground. Drawing upon his Yoki to boost his power, the dust stopped completely and the aura intensified.

The Leviathan grinned darkly as he tested his new powers. Powers over time, and even more physical strength due to the Titanic energy flowing through him. And no, Kronos becoming a voice in his head, latching on to his power, or somehow being connected to him was not possible in any form, fashion, or sense. The Titan of Time had been dispersed once more.

Now then…time to put his new powers to a real test.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus stood on a cliff that was overlooking the Doors of Death. About two thousand feet below, legions, swarms, swaths, battalions, groups, cliques, platoons, formations, and every synonym for the word 'gathering' was going own below. Monsters, numbering the fifty-thousands, roiled around the Doors of Death. Standing out most prominently were the giants Polybotes, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, Otis, and Ephialtes. Also standing out were the Titans Hyperion, Koios, and Krios.

On a less interesting note, interspersed among the massive crowd were monsters that once posed a serious challenge, but didn't even qualify as a minor inconvenience. Minotaur, Hydra, Chimera, Geryon, Arachne (oooo) Procrustes, the Nemean Lion, a giant Boar, and a flying Sow. There were more, but that wasn't important.

Perseus cracked his neck, performing a few stretches, did a few jumping jacks, you know…pre-game warmup stuff. Satisfied that his muscles were loose enough, the Leviathan calmly stepped off the cliff with one little statement.

"Maximum effort…"

He impacted with a crash, kicking up dust and small rocks. Even with the din of roaring, screaming, kicking, and talking, all sounds ceased as all attention was turned to the dust cloud at the base of the cliff. When the cloud cleared, gasps of shock rang loud and clear. Perseus just grinned at all the attention.

" **Perseus Jackson!"** Polybotes' voice thundered. **"What a fool you are to come here, to Tartarus!"**

The Leviathan strolled through the monsters, all of them parting like the Red Sea. "Not as foolish as yo mama thinking she can actually beat me in this war."

" **Ha! You might've held the advantage above, if only because the full extent of your powers was unknown to us. But now it is irrelevant. Here, standing on the body of our father,** _ **and**_ **backed by the largest army of monsters in mythological history, even you stand no chance. You don't even have a god to aid you!"**

Perseus was mere feet away from the towering forms of the giants and the Titans, all of them sneering down at the 5'7 near-immortal. "Is that right? You think that home-field advantage means anything to someone like me? You think home-field advantage means anything to Alabama when they go to play against the Kent State Golden Eagles? News flash: Eagles," the Leviathan gestured to everything around him, before pointing to himself, toga dancing, "meet the Crimson Tide."

"Such arrogance!" Hyperion roared, flames flaring around him. "How can you, a lowly demigod, believe that you can stand up to all of us, _and win!?_ Madness! Sacrilege! You will pay for your blunder with your life, Jackson!"

The Wide Smile was not smiling as he stared at the panting Titan of the East. "How can I believe that I can win?" he asked slowly, as if confused. Then a glint appeared in his heterochromic eyes. "Aaaaaah! I understand now. None of you have seen just how deep the depths of my power can dive to. I must apologize then, for not informing you of current events."

The Abyssal Lord bowed at the waist, sweeping one leg behind the other, crossing his right arm across his chest, and letting his left arm stick up, while his head was raised.

"Gentlemen. Allow me to… _reintroduce_ my myself. I am Perseus of the Wide Smile, known to many as the Marquis of Murder, and the Duke of Death. Known to all as the Leviathan, and known for gliding through the oceans of blood I spill during battle. I was the first Claymore to be ranked Number 1, and the last male to Awaken. I am the Supreme Commander of the Awakened Army, and bearer of the Asarakam. I am the slayer of Priscilla, and the ruler of the Continent. If you wish to refute my titles, do so now," mismatched eyes glowed brightly, "or prepare to die."

The giants and Titans recoiled at the insanely serious look in those eyes, their fight or flight instincts roaring at them to do something. Unanimously, they all decided on fight. The monsters around all roared before surging forward like water from a broken dam.

Explosion.

Green energy.

Earthquake.

Tornado.

Demon.

Powerful.

 _Fear_.

The swirling pillar of unknown energy shrouded what was inside, and all monsters within a fifty-meter radius were atomized instantly. The Titans and giants shielded their faces from the stinging, raging winds, so they were unable to see the silhouette of the true form of Perseus of the Wide Smile.

The tornado of Yoki faded, and the landscape of Tartarus restabilized. The divine beings uncovered their faces now that they were no longer in danger of having the flesh sheared off, and immediately wished they hadn't.

Four meters tall; a crown of spears; sleek armor the color of a black hole; spiked pauldrons; claws like swords; teeth like needles; organic coattail made of webbing and seven spines; twelve protrusions along the spine; spikes emerging from the joints; pupiless pools of sea-green.

The Leviathan was suddenly behind the Krios, and a swipe of his mighty arm tore the Titan's entire torso to ribbons. _Ichor_ sprayed everywhere.

The Leviathan was behind Hyperion, and the Titan managed to raise his spear in time to block the claw that would've bisected him. **"You're a quick one,"** the distorted, whispery voice sent shivers down the spines of all who heard, **"a strong one too, but not strong enough!"** Hyperion screamed when his arms were torn clean off his body, spraying more _ichor_. **"Goodbye…"** Hyperion's howl became silent when he was slashed in two at the waist.

Koios, the last Titan, managed to get a hold of himself, and charged forward with a bellowing cry that sent shockwaves rolling. He sped forward at a velocity that would've torn clean through a mountain, spear poised to pierce. He got within six inches before the Leviathan tilted to the side, allowing the Titan to sail harmlessly and uncontrollably past.

" **My, that's unfortunate."** The Leviathan's arm snapped up, ripping a hole through the smaller being's chest. He let his arm go slack, making the deceased Koios slide to ground in a lifeless heap and mangled flesh. The Leviathan looked at the stunned giants and grunted, releasing even _more_ power upon the Greek Hell.

" **Grah…RAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

This time, the all of the giants were lifted off of their scaly feet and sent flying by the shockwave of Yoki that erupted from the Leviathan. Swaths of ground were lifted up and hurled away, along with thousands of monsters that splattered like bugs against a windshield.

When you died in Tartarus, your soul became a _part_ of Tartarus. There was no regeneration, no reincarnation, no more life. Down here, death was death. Of course, with each passing creature, the strength of the dark god was increasing by leaps and bounds, furthering his already immeasurable primordial power.

The Leviathan wasted no more time with banter, instead making a violent bee line straight for Keto, the sister/wife of the idiot midget, Phorcys. The Purple Butcher batted aside hundreds of monsters on his way, splattering their guts and brains all over his arms with simple swipes. Keto fell on her ass when the Leviathan loomed over her, giant hands raised.

"Mercy, please!"

SPLELCH

The Leviathan came down hard with a massive overhead crush, turning Keto into golden paste. Really tasty paste actually, as the Awakened Being came to find as he licked his hands. Heh, his hunger was subsiding. There were several bursts of power from elsewhere across the battlefield, and the Leviathan grinned.

The giants had taken to their powered-up forms, which would make things slightly more entertaining.

Polybotes still looked the same as back in New Rome, but Enceladus, Alcyoneus, and the twins had taken on different forms.

The Bane of Pluto looked like a walking fortune, with his bald head being solid gold with rubies for eyes, a silver, bare upper body that had amethysts embedded in intricate patterns, and solid bronze legs complete with battle skirt that had emeralds arranged in formations. He was also ten feet tall.

Enceladus must have taken being the Bane of Athena seriously, because now he resembled some kind of spider-thing. First, he had shrunk to about twelve feet, his muscles hardening and compacting, his armor disappearing. His arms had been replaced with eight spider legs, four in each socket, that were all double jointed, back, hairy, ended in razor-sharp barbs, were about as thick as stop-sign poles, and about as long as telephone poles. His legs had remained the same, as well as his hair, but his eyes now glowed a bright purple.

Otis and Ephialtes had undergone the most basic transformation. They had merged into one large body, with both of their heads in between their shoulders, one torso, one set of legs, but another set of arms, with the extra limbs sprouting out from underneath their shoulder-mounted arms. Their eyes were solid blocks of orange.

Each giant now radiated an aura surpassing any god, but they were still peons compared to the Leviathan. He was still holding back.

The four giants suddenly disappeared in bursts of speed, shattering the ground, but the Leviathan seemed to twitch just as the vanished, and suddenly there were four objects speeding across Tartarus at terminal velocity in the cardinal directions.

Otis and Ephialtes were the first to encounter the power of the Leviathan full-force. In this new form, they had the ability to summon any and all weapons in the form of orange energy constructs. The twins conjured a giant gladius, labrys, broadsword, and a spiked mace in each hand, ready for battle.

The Leviathan was on them like stink on shit, his own arms shifted into jagged blades the length of king-size beds. The twins fought on par with the Leviathan for about ten seconds (which was to be commended), barely keeping up with the shockwave-inducing blows of their slightly taller opponent, before their energy weapons finally shattered under the immense strain.

Before they could even think to conjure new ones, they suddenly exploded into tiny chunks of meat, with a shower of gold spraying in between their once-whole body.

A beam of jade-colored energy shot across Tartarus, and the Leviathan merely grunted when the powerful stream of energy slammed into him. Unlike last time Polybotes hit him with this attack, it actually registered on the pain scale. However, this level of pain was equivalent to taking a shower with a mild sunburn. The Leviathan moved faster than even the powered-up giants could see, which made the beam go sailing further, and became visible about two feet to the left of the Anti-Poseidon. At four meters tall, the Leviathan towered over the 'giant' by a solid five feet.

" **I've had enough of you."**

The essences of Polybotes was added to Tartarus' via the obliteration of the skull.

Alcyoneus and Enceladus remained, along with an army of gnats. The Leviathan started with the gnats. He jumped and sailed through the air, impacting with cratering force. He roared as he charged forward, throwing up monsters by the dozen. A cyclops charged with its club raised; it erupted into bloody chunks by an unseen fist. A Hydra breathed fire, only for the stream to be violently cut off by the rupturing of it brain. There was a terrible screech from somewhere above, and Kampê herself descended into the fray, her scimitars dripping with poison.

The curved swords promptly shattered when the struck the Leviathan's armor.

The winged monster was promptly ripped in two.

The Leviathan allowed his tentacles to flail loose, stretching out for hundreds of meter, violently whipping around in blurs of death and landscape altering destruction. The Awakened Being grinned something horrifying when he sensed Alcyoneus and Enceladus do something incredibly interesting.

They merged.

A swirling pillar of red and purple shot up about 500 meters away, seemingly sucking away all light but its own. When the pillar faded, the new form of…Alcyadus…Enceloneus…whatever you wanted to call the merged form of the Banes of Hades and Athena, became clear. And boy was it hideous.

This thing would've made Arachne (where was she…oh, crushed into a grease smear on a rock) want to mate with it. The new monster had the body of a gigantic golden spider, with ruby spikes protruding from the leg joints, and diamonds lining the bulbous abdomen. Sitting on top the golden spider's cephalothorax was the emerald-encrusted silver torso of a well-muscled man with two faces, one on front (Alcyoneus) and the other on the back (Enceladus). This thing did not have hair, but it did have amethyst eyes in both sockets.

" **I am Alcyenceladuneus (Al-key-en-cell-a-dune-ee-us), the combined consciousness and power of Alcyoneus, and Enceladus. Prepare to die, monster."**

" **That's cute."**

Alcyenceladuneus was faster than her looked, and was in front of the Leviathan in less than a microsecond. Now that they were standing next to each other, it became clear they were the same height. The Awakened Being punched the merged giant in the face, but that only had the effect of a loud clanging. The spider-thing punched the Leviathan in the face, and he went skidding across the ground, digging trenches across the glass.

His jaw was sore. That had actually hurt.

The rubies on the leg joints glowed brightly, before firing highly concentrated beams of energy. The Leviathan took them head-on, and that was actually a mistake, considering these beams actually burned. He roared loudly, causing a shockwave to rise up and flatten everything within a hundred meters; any monsters in the vicinity were reduced to bits of red. Alcyenceladuneus merely grunted, and shook the kinetic energy off like an annoying toddler.

The merged giant tensed before launching itself into the air. This new vantage point gave the monster the perfect angle for his other technique. The diamonds on his abdomen glowed brightly, before a super-paced barrage of lights rained down upon Tartarus, causing hundreds of mini explosions.

The Leviathan also took this attack head-on heedless of his burning armor. These concentrated bolts of energy were unlike anything felt before, and the power behind them was enough to _pierce_ through the armor, down to the underlying flesh.

Alcyenceladuneus landed with a crunch of glass, a smirk on his silver faces. So, with this new power, he could take Percy on and win. It was almost too easy, but it was highly satisfying to watch the powerful demigod pant with fatigue while many white spikes were embedded in his flesh.

" **Like I said: prepare to die."**

Instead of showing fear, the Leviathan tilted his head back and roared with laughter. It was a horrifying sound, the mixture of whisper, childish sound, and demonic booming. The white spikes suddenly lost their glow, before crumbling into nothingness.

" **Impressive. You are able to injure me at 58% of my full power. Let's see how you handle 75%!"**

Alcyenceladuneus dug his legs into the ground so as to not get blasted away by the dome of Yoki that was releasing winds higher than anything a tornado or hurricane could ever achieve. However, the massive surged in power that were reshaping the landscape had the (un)fortunate side-effect of drawing the attention of a certain Titan that had been sent to Tartarus during the Battle of Manhattan.

In the distance, a mountain exploded as Typhon re-awakened in all his humongous glory.

The Leviathan salivated at seeing such a spectacle, and wasted no time in using his increased speed and strength to crush Alceyenceladuneus' silver head like an overripe tomato, before draining the little power that he could out of the expensive carcass.

Amazingly, there were still a sizeable number of monsters that had hung around since the beginning of the massacre, and the only purpose they served now was a fun-run of obstacles between the Leviathan and Typhon.

The Awakened Being charged forward with a mad giggle, fluidly cutting and ripping and tearing apart monsters in showers of viscera and blood, all the while shifting his arms into various shapes. Typhon growled, which sounded like thunder rumbling, and brought his fist down on Tartarus, unleashing a shockwave that kicked up a tidal wave of dust, debris, and unfortunate monsters.

The Leviathan cackled as he barreled right through the artificial storm, his momentum overriding that of the shockwave. He leapt and soared, careening right past Typhon's sky-scraper sized arm. A massive gash ripped through the limb, letting _ichor_ flow like a mighty river.

Typhon howled as he reared back, clutching the glowing golden stump that was once his right forearm.

The Leviathan let his tendrils loose, before forming his glowing patchwork wings. With a mighty flap, he instantly ascended into Typhon's chin, connecting with an uppercut that created a shockwave that washed over half of Tartarus. The Titan was lifted off his feet by more than a few meters, and crashed back down onto the ground with mighty impact. The Leviathan was not done yet, and broke the sound barrier when he descended right onto Typhon's sternum.

The Titan's limbs went straight up as his midsection bowed, and the impact force sent thousands of tons of dust and rock flying for the ceiling. A new crater was formed on Tartarus' body that day, and that crater was only deepened by Typhon's gigantic limbs when they came crashing back down.

Not even the Storm Titan, the being that made all Olympians besides Zeus cower and retreat in terror, was a match for the Leviathan. With just two powerful blows, he had _killed_ Typhon. All monsters within a ten-mile radius had been obliterated by the shockwaves.

With no one else that could substantially challenge him, the Leviathan returned to the Doors of Death, intent on entering and finishing this idiotic war once and for all, and heading back to his _home_ dimension with Annabeth held tightly in his arms. He wasn't even thinking about fighting Tartarus anymore, and he really couldn't place why…but his lack of interest was quickly fixed.

 _IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY, BOY. I HAVEN'T SEEN CARNAGE LIKE THIS SINCE CHAOS, AMUN, YMIR, AND GOD CREATED_ _ **CREATION**_ _EPOCHS UPON EPOCHS AGO. YOU HAVE PROVED A MOST INVALUABLE SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT, BUT I'VE GROWN BOARD OF MERELY WATCHING. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD, BOY, BECAUSE NOT EVEN ALL OLYMPIANS COMBINED WERE ENOUGH TO GARNER MY PERSONNAL ATTENTION._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Another cliffhanger, deal with it.**_

 _ **Perseus now has time powers after sucking Kronos dry…that sounds dirty, and has just**_ _ **killed**_ _ **Polybotes, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, Otis, Ephialtes, Koios, Krios, Hyperion, Keto, Typhon, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of monsters. And with each thing he killed, their essences were absorbed by Tartarus, the primordial, who has now decided that he wants a piece of the action.**_

 _ **Next chapter:**_ _ **God of the Pit**_ _ **!**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	25. God of the Pit

_God of the Pit_

 _ **I'm so glad that the fight last chapter was so well received, and people weren't complaining about the giants being powered up or the Titans being taken down so easily. But that was all kiddie stuff compared to this chapter.**_

 _ **The Leviathan and Tartarus.**_

 _ **The Lord of the Abyss and the God of the Pit.**_

 _ **One person reviewed saying that they hoped that this fight would be half as good as the Priscilla fight. The only thing I can say, is to expect more explosions, shockwaves, blood, collateral damage, and mayhem on levels not seen since Joker took over Arkham Asylum.**_

 _ **I am surprised that no one commented on**_ _ **Son of Jashin**_ _ **, though. Did you guys just not notice, or do you just not care?**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Claymore belongs to some Japanese guy, and Percy Jackson belongs to some guy in America. How do you think either of those people would react if they read my fics?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Leviathan's eyes glowed bright with interest as he watched black energy gather in front of him. It didn't take long for the energy to begin taking a humanoid form…a big one.

Tartarus was just as tall as the son of Poseidon, and just as defined. The god took a bare-chested form, with functional rags for pants that were held up by a thick, black rope. Tartarus' skin was either really dark purple, or an interesting shade of black. For a head, the god had opted for a demonic visage, with endless pools of burning magma for eyes, incisors sticking up from his upper and bottom lips, a hooked, yet flat nose, pointed ears, and hair that was literal bright purple fire.

Tartarus' muscle mass looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his Olympic days, only proportionately sized to someone four meters tall.

 _A physical form…it's been eons since I bothered with such a triviality._ The dark god flexed his muscles, veins bulging with each motion as he clenched and unclenched his meaty fists. The Leviathan just stood off to the side, his own muscular arms crossed over his chest. _Be honored. I have not fought like this since I was a godling sparring with my brothers._

" **Glad I made an impression. Are we going to fight, or are we going to do the stupid thing and talk?"**

 _I'm old fashioned._

" **Excellent."**

In a feat only a primordial deity could accomplish at this point, Tartarus broke the sound barrier and caught the Leviathan by surprise with a haymaker that would've blown Zeus's head apart like buckshot and a watermelon. The son of Poseidon tore a trench across the ruined landscape, his body skipping along, making craters.

He flipped upright, digging his claws in. The friction brought him to a stop probably three miles away. With a grunt, he spat out a globule of purple blood, a new set of teeth sliding into place. That…that had hurt. And it had felt _good_. Not good as in masochism, but good as in Tartarus actually had enough strength to cause him pain.

This was going to be _glorious_.

The dark god suddenly materialized in front of the Leviathan, but he was ready this time. The earth shattering punch of Tartarus met with massive palm, and the Pit rumbled quietly…before a crater the size of a small town slowly cracked outwards, before it suddenly erupted in concussive force, sending dust erupting like ash from Mt. Saint Helens.

The cloud didn't last long, because the punch that the Leviathan threw impacted Tartarus' face with enough force to produce another shockwave that blew apart the dust, revealing the crater several meters deep. Of course, the punch itself sent the primordial crashing through the side of the crater, gouging out a trench the size an aqueduct, and as long as a football field.

Any lesser being would've exploded in a shower of gore. Only Priscilla, Isley, Riful, Luciella, and Teresa would've walked away from that blow.

Tartarus was still unfazed, and instantly appeared back in front of the Leviathan. The Awakened Being raised his arms, parried the punch, and landed an uppercut. Tartarus responded with a punch to the gut, followed by a jab to face. Undaunted, yet slightly dazed, the Leviathan threw a haymaker to the face, but it was blocked by a forearm. Tartarus jabbed, but it was also blocked.

Rearranging his grip so that he was holding both fists in place, the Leviathan reared back and head-butted Tartarus in the schnoz, making the primordial stumble back. A costly mistake, since the Leviathan capitalized with a double-handed upwards blow to the chin that sent the primordial speeding for the clouds.

The Leviathan appeared above airborne deity, and punched him in the face a thundering shockwave. A streak of black and purple slammed into the ground, dug a trench due to momentum, kicked up dust due to earth-displacement, but all of that changed when another streak of black suddenly came down like a meteor upon the first streak.

A new crater like an inverted Super-Bowl stadium adorned the Pit, while a mushroom cloud rose high.

Tartarus growled, his magma-eyes glowing brightly. The Leviathan was blasted away by dual beams of red the size of baseballs, two cauterized holes smoking in his chest. He landed on his spiked-back, questioning the paradox of Pinocchio announcing that his nose will grow. Meh, questions for later.

He popped up, and ripped out his own flesh in order to let his regeneration do its thing. He noted with a smirk that Tartarus was approaching with minor injuries that leaked black liquid. The dark god's fiery hair idly danced around.

 _Impressive. I haven't taken damage like this since the First Age. Still, you are far from causing any debilitating wounds to me, Boy._

Tartarus' cuts and bruises glowed orange as liquid fire bubbled up from beneath. The fire spilled over, washing over the broken glass ground, causing it to melt. The rivulets stopped flowing, leaving behind unblemished skin, and a glowing pothole of molten sludge.

Healing factor by way of the River Phlegethon. Nice.

The Leviathan cocked a brow, wondering if Tartarus had any other powers related to the rivers. Only one way to find out. Pouring on a burst of speed, he blurred in front of the dark god, and raked his claws across his barrel chest.

Sparks flew about wildly as the horrendous sound of grinding metal echoed for miles. The Leviathan channeled his Yoki, increasing his claws' cutting power. He tore five thin lines not even a millimeter deep through Tartarus' flesh. The dark god grunted, before backhanding the Leviathan, only for his forearm to get grabbed, and his momentum to be transferred into a spinning toss that sent him flying away at terminal velocity.

Tartarus growled, before using his divine power to teleport himself back to the battlefield after he healed himself. The Leviathan's synapses barely triggered before he took several rapid fire punched to his face and body, before he snapped his arms up and intercepted Tartarus' fists, creating another ground-altering shockwave.

 _I'll enjoy adding your power to my own!_

" **And I'll enjoy screwing your mother!"**

 _I don't have a mother!_

" **I can fix that!"**

The Leviathan _poured_ on the Yoki, flooding his body with enough raw energy glow brighter than a star. The massive boost in strength threw Tartarus for a loop, and the dark god became subject to a torrent of blows at a speed faster than shots fired from a railgun. Bones cracked, muscles tore, internal organs were ruptured, craters were formed, trenches were made, and a very incensed God of the Pit finally had enough.

Invoking the divine power of his domain, Tartarus _made_ the Leviathan stop his assault, freezing the Awakened Being in place. The dark god wasn't done with that, however. Using more of his true divine power, Tartarus healed and mended his demonic body, but he also changed it. His muscly flesh hardened and shifted into something more akin to solid granite. His pants turned into shadow and melted away, revealing a patch of skin where his penis was supposed to be; all of this also turned into rock-like flesh. His fiery hair fizzed out, but was replaced by a pair of horns that jutted straight back. Two thick branches sprouted from his collar bones, and grew backwards, while two pairs of branches sprouted from the dark god's shoulder blades and just beneath those. Tartarus growled as his magma-colored eyes turned bright purple, and veins the same color sprouted all over his body.

This physical form was almost at the breaking point, and this was only 75% of the God of the Pit's full divine might. Tartarus spread his arms, and a ripple spread across his domain. Instantly, all of the destruction done to the Greek Hell was undone, and everything was back to the way it looked before the Leviathan had been unleashed.

Speaking of, the son of Poseidon was grinding his fangs together tightly as he tried and _failed_ to overcome the divine hold that Tartarus had on him. This was what it felt like to have his Yoki work against him, however unlike with any other Awakened Being or Claymore, the Leviathan _could not_ break free. That was an oxymoron in and of itself.

Still, the actions of Tartarus had yielded critical data. One, the god had the power to regenerate. Two, he could alter his form by drawing upon more power. Three, he could control his domain however he wished, seeing as how everything had been fixed, down to the last piece of shrapnel, and control whatever was in his domain. Four, as long as they were in the Pit, Tartarus was literally invincible.

The Leviathan didn't really know why they were fighting, but it was clear that this was a battle to the death, and dying was not an option at this point in time. That raised the question of either A) how to get out of here, or B) how to take Tartarus up to the surface. Brainstorming at a fast enough pace to generate enough electricity to power an entire block, a crazy idea popped up in the Leviathan's head.

He didn't know if he could do it; he didn't even know if it was possible; hell he didn't even know _how_ to do it, but he had absorbed the time powers of Kronos. It was just a theory, but what would happen if the Leviathan could hurl himself and the spirit of Tartarus into another timeline? Would they end up here, just in the past? Would they go to some random instance in the past-or the future? Hell, by travelling the time stream, would they end up in an alternate dimension?

That line of thought brought the Leviathan to brainstorming the possibility of going back to his home, but he quickly quashed those thoughts. He needed to focus on the here and now, and Hera was (hopefully) not foolish enough to break a bargain with the Leviathan.

Regardless of theories and possibilities, one thing was abundantly clear: this next round was going to involve massive amounts of power.

The Leviathan tuned out the goings on around him, focusing deep within himself. It wasn't hard to find what he was looking for: a ball of compressed golden energy. Reflected within this ball were hundreds of images overlapping, fading, and bleeding into others; images of memories. This ball represented the Leviathan's new chronokinetic powers.

On the subject of orbs and powers, floating next to the golden ball, in a size comparable to that of the moon and the sun, with the golden ball being the moon, was a ball the color the sea. This ball twisted and warped as waves randomly swirled all over its chaotic surface. However, in a size comparable to that of the sun and VY Canis Majoris, was an orb of pure, raw, violent energy.

This third, largest ball, represented the Leviathan's Yoki, while the other ball represented his hydrokinesis. It was obvious just how much stronger his Yoki was when compared to his godly powers. That was why the Leviathan didn't bother with his elemental powers in a fight; his physical abilities far outweighed his divine powers. However, he wasn't focusing on his Yoki, he was focusing on combining his chronokinesis _with_ his Yoki.

Tight sparks began to fix between the two orbs as they were forcefully bonded. They grew closer to each other, causing more sparks to fly between them. When they were mere inches away, a physical phenomenon began to take place outside of the Leviathan's mind.

Tartarus returned his attention to his opponent when he felt a shift in his power. A large one. Before the dark god could think to do something, a torrent of sea-green energy with hints of gold flooded the Pit. Tartarus grunted and raised his hands in front of his face. Even in his new form, he was still pushed back by the wind currents generated by the surging Yoki.

The Leviathan roared as his Yoki successfully merged with his chronokinesis, and he achieved new levels of power. Power on par with a primordial.

The spire of energy ceased, and Tartarus growled lowly when he beheld his opponent's new body. Not much had changed, except that the Leviathan's eyes were now pure, 24 karat gold, and that veins of the same rich color now shined brightly along the niches of his armor, outlining his muscles. The spikes on his knees, elbows, shoulders, waist spines, webbing, claws, and head all smoldered with gold energy on the tips.

The Leviathan looked like he ruled the Sinestro Corps.

The two _gods_ growled at each other, shaking the Pit with a fervor on par with a low-level earthquake. Tartarus didn't realize what had happened, only that his opponent was realizing a continuous wave of power on par with his own. This was not what he had wanted. He didn't want a _fight_ , not anymore. He wanted to _win_. He wanted the Leviathan's power. He wanted another slave.

 _Glow all you want, Leviathan. I am still the amalgamation of Polybotes, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, Typhon, Otis, Ephialtes, Hyperion, Koios, Krios, and legions of monsters. You cannot win._

" **And yet you speak as if to reassure yourself of your own power, listing off the names of the beings** **I** **gave to you. Spare me the mightier-than-thou speech, Tartarus,"** The Leviathan said, as if speaking to an inferior creature, **"and let's finish this."**

Tartarus' eyed body glowed menacingly as his fury peaked. _You dare speak down to me, mortal? I am the God of the Pit; I existed for eons before the first vestiges of life emerged on this pitiful excuse of a planet, and I will continue to exist for eons hence. You wish for battle? Then allow me to give you battle unlike anything Priscilla, Isley, or Teresa could ever accomplish!_

The Leviathan didn't respond or even question how a primordial deity knew those names (Gaea knew them too; perhaps it was a mythologically universal thing now?) and instead channeled his new time powers. He was going to need a lot of power for this.

Tartarus sprung forward, shattering the ground. The Leviathan launched himself ahead just an attosecond later, glowing with bright golden energy. The two gods slammed their fists together, and the grandchild of Kronos activated his theoretical time-warp powers. There was a horrendous tug in the Leviathan's gut, almost like someone had lodged a hook inside and was trying to rip out his intestines, before a golden vortex opened where the two fists had met, sucking the two gods into an artificial wormhole.

The vortex vanished with a shockwave that tore a mile-wide crater across the Pit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **You better believe this is another cliffhanger, you better believe that next chapter will be even more destructive, and you better believe that Oni and Dynamis Lord from**_ _ **Street Fighter**_ _ **IV and**_ _ **Final Fantasy**_ _ **were the Inspirations behind Tartarus' character designs.**_

 _ **Speaking of next chapter, since I am pulling my signature out-of-the-blue dimension hopping card again, where do we want this battle to be taken? I've thought of some point in canon PJO, I've thought of right in the middle of the mounting battle in**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **, I've thought of right in the middle of Asteria's mounting melt down in**_ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **, hell I've even thought of popping up right in the middle of some random anime fight.**_

 _ **Thoughts, suggestions, inputs, opinions, words of advice, and the like are welcome, appreciated, and desperately needed.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	26. Lord of the Abyss

_Lord of the Abyss_

 _ **380 reviews, ladies and gentlemen. Almost to 400. Hell, there's a strong possibility that we'll hit that with this chapter, Lord willing. But that's not important.**_

 _ **Suggestions, so many, many suggestions. So many suggestions that I spent days running over which one I wanted to do.**_ _ **One Piece, DBZ, Gundam, a PJO fanfic, Lord of the Rings, Naruto Shippuden, Attack on Titan, Highschool DxD**_ _ **, canon**_ _ **PJO**_ _ **, canon**_ _ **Claymore**_ _ **,**_ _ **both**_ __ _ **Xenomorphic**_ _ **and**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **...God you people are awesome.**_

 _ **Still though, after so much consideration, I just couldn't decide on which one I wanted to go with, until I had a terrible, horrible idea.**_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ **:** I don't own Claymore or PJO

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Western Civilization was in abject ruin. Poseidon had been unable to pull down Typhon, Krios had successfully defeated Jason Grace, and sacked New Rome, and Kronos had destroyed every last vestige of Luke Castellan. The only reason the Titan King kept that form was because it amused him.

The Olympians and all like-minded gods had been imprisoned/enslaved, while all of the minor gods that had supported the Titans were rewarded with higher status and more power, while under a binding oath. The demigods of the mythological world, from both camps, and the ones that aided the Titans, had been enslaved, and served no other purpose than for gladiator fights to the death, personal satisfaction, or menial slave labor. Not even the Amazons or the Huntresses escaped this fate.

On a side note, the Egyptian and Norse pantheons had shut down all access points to the mortal world. Whether they were planning a counter attack, a preemptive strike, or to just stay out of things was anyone's guess; not that the demigods knew of their existence however, and the Titans were at a new height of power so they weren't worried.

However, there was one demigod that was spared the fate of a gladiator, cook, doormat, etc., but was instead deemed as Kronos' Queen. This demigod was Percy Jackson, although demigod denoted being a male. Males did not do anal and wind up being pregnant, nor have children that affectionately referred to them as 'mommy.' Even worse, this version of Percy had submitted himself willingly, and with pleasure-filled moans of ecstasy.

It was just another day in paradise(hell) for the New World. Times Square had been converted into the mother of all colosseums, with the surrounding buildings being used as stands, the square being used as the arena, and the giant central electronic billboard had been replaced with VIP seats. Sitting here was Kronos in the form of Castellan, Percy, in a revealing dress, their children, who were unimportant, and the rest of the Titans, both male and female. Besides Rhea.

Rhea had faded.

Down in the arena, one Reyna Anal-Slut was battling to the death against one Fellatio-Queen Hylla. Both females were clad only in leather straps that hid only their nipples and crotches, while Reyna had a painful-looking apparatus that steamed, hissed, and whirred as it pumped some object in and out of her rectum, while Hylla had a device strapped to her head that resembled Willy Wonka's headgear from the remake movie, with her lips _surgically_ sewed to a dildo that reached in just shy of the back of her throat.

It addition to finding intense amusement in watching half-bloods fight to the death, the Titans were not opposed to getting carnal amusement out of the proceedings as well. It should also be noted that all of the Olympian, enemy minor gods, and all of the demigods had their own special ring-side seats to the matches, and they were horrified at what they were watching. The ring being the streets and sidewalks of the Square.

Kronos leaned over, making Percy squirm as his hand slid up his thigh to place it didn't belong. "Enjoying yourself, my Queen?" he whispered huskily. "I'll strap you to all of those devices and listen to your screams as every part of your body is violated."

Bitch!Percy shivered in excitement. "I can't wait... _master."_

Poseidon had never been more disappointed/disgusted with a child of his since Orion.

Kronos' face became clouded with perverse glee, while his new children giggled. He raised his hand to caress his Queen for his flattery, while at the same time Hylla raised her dagger to kill her little sister, when everything exploded.

There was a violent eruption originating from the center of the arena, an eruption of gold and purple energy that atomized the daughters of Bellona, a good number of monsters, a handful of half-bloods, and blinded the gods. If that didn't kill you, the shock wave that washed out over all of Manhattan, the shockwave that knocked _down_ several skyscrapers, probably did some damage.

The Titans and gods were able to shield their locations with divine energy, but that only gave them a stunning visual to a battle between real deities.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tartarus and the Leviathan were knocked back by their own fists, their massive legs digging trenches in the…asphalt. Acting quickly, the Awakened Being blasted the elder creature with pure, golden energy, sending the dark god shooting off like a bullet from a railgun, tearing apart the street as he went bye-bye.

Nice to know that he could jump through time.

Now clear of the immediate threat, for the time being, the Leviathan spread out his senses...and almost wretched at what he beheld. The Titans: alive. The gods: imprisoned. The half-bloods: slaves. Himself (in this timeline) Kronos' consort and child bearer. How that was possible was a mystery, but the Leviathan wasn't worried about it. Despite being in a battle with Tartarus, a little housecleaning wouldn't go amiss.

"What on Gaea is going on down there!?" Kronos roared from on high. The monsters, gods, and others just looked bewildered and afraid of the black and gold creature in the middle of the arena...who suddenly disappeared.

The Titans whipped around in their seats just in time to witness the Leviathan appear behind them, eyes glowing brightly in the shadows made by the canopy.

Kronos made to stand, but he was punched in the face with enough blunt force to send him flying into mesosphere. Weapons were immediately drawn, with Bitch!Percy standing protectively in front of his (her?) screaming children, the smoldering-gold tipped tentacles of the Leviathan blurred out, tearing massive holes through the craniums of all the Titans. Their bodies erupted into golden dust that faded away.

The children, two girls screamed even louder, and that was the last thing they did. The Leviathan's giant hands snapped out faster than Bitch!Percy could comprehend, and the two girls were popped into his (Leviathan's) giant maw. Bitch!Percy stared in abject horror as his interdimensional counterpart slowly _ate_ his babies.

The Leviathan swallowed and wiped his mouth. **"Tastes like chicken."**

Bitch!Percy squealed, but he was picked up, and a hand was placed on his head, and was subsequently ripped apart like a piece of paper. The Leviathan casually threw the carcass aside; he wasn't eating that. He didn't think bitch was contagious, but he wasn't really keen on finding out.

Dauf tried to rape him over a century ago. The Leviathan wasn't into that then, he sure as hell wasn't into that now.

 **[Can't Get It Enough-Trash Gang; trust me, it'll make this ten times better]**

 _JACKSON!_

" **TARTARUS!"**

The Leviathan blasted out of the VIP box at Mach 1, and the two gods clashed in shockwave that reduced the surrounding rubble to dust. Luckily, the gods had managed to scrape together enough divine power to flash themselves and the Amazons, Hunters, and demigods to what was left of their ruined throne room. Just in time to escape the impending destruction of the planet Earth.

Tartarus slammed his fists down upon the Leviathan, shattering the earth several feet below. Instead of shooting down, the Awakened Being countered with a haymaker that tore a crescent-shaped path of destruction across the quickly-rupturing city. The dark god shrugged off the blow, and connected with a jab to the stomach, making the Leviathan grunt.

Tartarus was then on the receiving end of divine power-enhanced punch to the face. Just before the fist connected, the God of the Pit enforced his face with water from the River Styx, and his own essence. There was a terrific boom that could've been heard in Virginia, and a paper-thin golden wave erupted from the impact point of the punch, slicing cleanly through each and every remaining skyscraper on the island. Manhattan trembled as several thousand tons of concrete and steel came crashing down on top of her.

Then Tartarus went zooming away once more, a streak of black and purple. What was different this time, was that the Leviathan streaked after his opponent, he himself becoming a streak of black and gold. He quickly caught up to the dark god, punching him in the chest, making a crater from the impact location, causing Tartarus to go skidding further and faster.

The two were at the Appalachian Mountains in mere seconds. Tartarus went crashing through mountain after mountain, showering the earth with dirt and dust. The dark god recovered quickly after that, his body emitting a quasar's worth of light, and he easily backhanded the incoming Leviathan with earth-destroying force. Now it was the younger of the two's turn to go careening through granite at terminal velocity.

He skidded to a stop, looked to the side, and blurred over to the base of some hill. He dug his claws into its side, and ripped it out of the earth with a mighty roar, and then he hurled the entire thing at Tartarus. The God of the Pit sneered, unleashing a purple blast of energy from his palm that blew apart the incoming hill with ease…which revealed the descending _mountain_.

Tartarus put his hands together, unleashing an even more powerful beam that illuminated the entire western hemisphere. The airborne mountain was only a distraction, as shown when the Leviathan came crashing in at Mach 2, sending the dark god ripping across the United States. The Leviathan gave chase.

The two gods zoomed and streaked across the _continent_ as blurs of purple and gold. They destroyed cities, bowled through mountains, carved deep trenches, created craters the size of lakes, destabilized the tectonic plates, and ripped the weather patterns a new asshole. The earth shook as the forces of nature were unwittingly released.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions (shockingly enough), lava flowing forth from random areas, the sky turning red, yellow lightning flashing all over the place, you know, everything signifying the end of a planet.

Of course, that didn't mean that Tartarus and the Leviathan had even paused in their hyper-sonic death battle from Hell. Oh no, if anything, they got _faster_. Up in space, the mortals still blissfully unaware of what was just ruling their planet crowded around the viewport window of the ISS. What they saw were streaks and flashes and purple and gold crisscrossing and intersecting all over the entire surface of the planet.

As the Leviathan and Tartarus blurred from continent to continent, they tore up massive tails of water that reached several hundred feet in the air. Any ships they passed were instantly capsized or ripped apart by sheer kinetic energy. Even more cities were reduced to rubble. London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, and Berlin were just a few of the ones in Europe. As for Asia, well, Asia _was_ the most populated continent.

 _Billions_ were killed during the fight. Not even directly in the way, just the residual force of the two gods streaking across the planet had enough tailwind to pull skyscrapers down like dominoes. In less than five minutes, Planet Earth had been reduced to a hellish landscape of destruction, ruins, and death.

The two gods briefly visited the South Pole. The Leviathan punched Tartarus in the face, sending the dark god flying across the entire ice-body. If that wasn't enough to make your jaw drop, after Tartarus cleared the continent, the son of Poseidon _really_ packed on the physical strength and hydrokinesis, and flipped the entire frozen mass up on its end. The tidal wave that erupted from Antarctica being flipped over and cracked, began racing for the land masses at several hundred meters high. Not that that meant anything to two beings moving at speeds that almost made sound look slow.

The Leviathan and Tartarus went streaking across the planet again, racing up the entirety of South America, Central America, and the Northeastern United States, coming to an ironic stop at the smoldering remains of Times Square.

 **[3:18]**

The two were heaving slightly, both not used to such physical exertion. However, while Tartarus was glaring heatedly, the Leviathan was grinning widely. Finally! A worthy opponent to battle!

The God of the Pit clenched his fists and began to howl, causing numerous cracks to rupture along his body. Purple energy poured out of him in a manner similar to the tidal wave that was ripping the southern tips of South America, Africa, and bits of Australia and Asia new assholes. The protrusions on Tartarus' back lengthened by several feet, and purple energy filled in the gaps. The Leviathan responded by letting his own wings stretch and form, filling with gold energy instead of the usual green.

The two instantly broke the sound barrier yet again with liftoff. Yet again, the two went blurring and zooming across the planet's surface, even faster this time. Shockwaves colored gold and purple erupted across the clouds as the deities slammed into each other. Clouds were blown sporadically apart, with hundreds of holes appearing at random places. However, to those with a keen eye, they would see that the Leviathan had the air-superiority here.

He had been flying and fighting a lot longer than Tartarus had, despite the dark god having the powers, memories, and experiences of numerous Titans and Giants.

Suddenly, a golden blast wave rolled across the sky, signifying that the Leviathan had scored a major hit. Tartarus went careening into the earth, digging a massive trench across the surface, a massive cloud of dust and dirt following the dark god as momentum carried him for miles upon miles, before he slammed into a solid landmass…and kept going.

Once more, the irony was in full blast, since the place Tartarus had ended up stopping was none other than the remains of the once-proud Camp Half-Blood…and he had stopped about twenty meters away from the beach. The God of the Pit got no time to recover as the Leviathan crashed down in the surf with a spray of sea and sand. It should also be noted that the Awakened Being was _done_ with fighting.

 **[4:11]**

The Leviathan splayed his gold-tipped hands out wide, gathering the remains of his energy. Tartarus' reaction was throw up a shield of purple energy to protect himself from the impending blast. In the background, a metal guitar began to jam wildly as the Leviathan released his final attack. A wave of golden energy several thousand feet in diameter roared forward at three times the speed of sound.

Tartarus' barrier held, until the Leviathan shot his tentacles far out into the ocean, and began to suck in the saltwater, which had the natural effect of _severely_ boosting his already absurd levels of power. This had the ungodly effect of expanding the beam to several _miles_ in diameter. Tartarus' barrier was shattered like glass, and the dark god took the full brunt of the energy blast.

 **[4:27]**

Due to his invulnerability, the beam of divine power carried the screaming Tartarus clear across the _continent_ , straight over the earth's surface, out past its edge, through the depths of space, narrowly missing the moon itself. The beam's speed was incomprehensible as it roared across the void. Tartarus, helplessly plastered on the front of the beam like an insect on a windshield, looking very much like a gnat when compared to the diameter of the beam, widened his eyes when he saw the quickly approaching ball of rust in the distance.

The beam slammed into the surface of Mars with more force than any meteor. The crust shattered and buckled, and the God of the Pit's essence finally reached its limit just as the beam struck the Red Planet's core. The floating rock named after the Roman form of Ares exploded in a violent wave of gold, purple, and red.

 **[4:52]**

Back on Earth, as the beam traveled across America, all structures on the flight path, manmade or natural, were quickly atomized by the divine wave of energy. The Leviathan watched with grim satisfaction as a red dot shined brightly in the far of distance. Satisfied that Tartarus had either faded or was too weak to continue fighting, the Leviathan tipped his head back and roared with every decibel he could produce.

What came out was a sound that would've made Godzilla green with envy, would've deafened anyone within a five-mile radius, and had the physical effect of a low-level earthquake.

 **[END SONG. If you actually listened to it, you can't deny how epic that whole scene was.]**

The Leviathan ended his roar of triumph with a smoothly descending pitch until all that was left was silence, and a sudden wave of fatigue and borderline nausea. Whew, now _that_ was a fight. In fact, the Leviathan was so drained of power that his Yoki and chronokinesis disconnected from within, becoming two separate powers again. If that wasn't enough to show how tired he was, the Leviathan reverted back into his more-common juvenile form.

The naked eight-ish-year-old boy panted heavily. Even with his tentacles still connected to what was left of the Atlantic Ocean (his tentacles had dived down to five hundred feet, and were now barely submerged because he had converted the water into raw power), he was still ready to collapse and sleep for a few years.

No, he told himself. Now was not the time for resting; he was in an alternate timeline, with different gods, demigods, and everything, and they probably wouldn't take too kindly to him reducing their planet to a barren, chaotic wasteland, so he needed to scrape together enough power for a time-jump back to the original timeline before he had to deal with irate divine entities, and to do that, he needed salt water…which there was plenty of right behind him.

With a copious amount of effort, the childlike Leviathan used his tentacles to catapult himself up and over, and comfortably smacked into enough saltwater to instantly feel better. Kinda like being freezing and then wrapping up in several blankets right after and feeling the heat return to your body.

The Wide Smile just stayed there for a period of time, just letting the water rejuvenate him. It might've been minutes, or hours, or days, or weeks, or months, or even years—actually no, definitely not _that_ long—until the Wide Smile felt strong enough to time-travel again.

He wasn't at full-strength, no he would need to eat something before he could claim to be at 100%, but he was still strong enough to dust a Giant, and with Tartarus otherwise indisposed, it left the very important questions of what happened to the Pit, and what happens when you kill a non-mortal entity? Questions for later.

Instead of resurfacing, which would've been stupid, since that would mean disconnecting himself from the water, the Wide Smile drew upon his chronokinesis. His irises turned the color of 24 karat gold, unlike his Yoki-gold with the slit pupils, as his time powers activated. In a burst of energy, he was gone from this twisted timeline.

Meanwhile, the gods and demigods were left speechless and terrified over the absolute carnage they had witnessed, and they were all left asking themselves: what now? The planet was basically in ruin, Gaea was probably not happy (or possibly destroyed), and how do you move on from years of being enslaved to Titans?

Meh. Question that would forever go unanswered because the author was only using this timeline for his own personal amusement.

It should also be noted that the Fates were banging their heads against whatever solid object they could find, muttering and grumbling about mortals and their free will, multiverse theory, and a 'damn brat' that was 'worse than Asteria will ever be.'

Whatever could they be talking about?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **So concludes the odyssey of Perseus in Tartarus. Was it epic enough? Violent enough? Over-the-top enough? Did anyone actually listen to the music? Did you think the song was good, or did you think it was stupid?**_

 _ **Next chapter is the reunion between characters, the underwhelming fight against Clytius, the answers to questions regarding Tartarus, and quite possibly the end of this entire war, because at this point there's really no point in Perseus dragging this war out. He defeated one of the strongest primordials in single combat, and blew up Mars.**_

 _ **Gaea's days are numbered.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	27. End of the War Pt 1

_End of the War Pt. 1_

 _ **Three stories in one night!? What!? How is this possible!? I'll tell you how: I got impatient and decided to post before Thanksgiving arrived.**_

 _ **A bunch of people were disappointed that Percy didn't eat Tartarus…yeah, I never intended for Percy to eat Tartarus, just have a brutal fight to the death in an alternate dimension. Speaking of, I'm kicking myself in the ass for going where I went. It's kind of like that feeling you get after you lose an argument and ten minutes later you think of the perfect excuse.**_

 _ **Should've went DC Comics,**_ _ **Justice League vs. Teen Titans**_ _ **, when Trigon escapes to the real world. Should've had the Leviathan and Tartarus beat his ass, and everyone else's for interfering in their battle. Sigh, shoulda, woulda, coulda…**_

 _ **Anyway, we are beginning the final arc of Leviathan, in which the Giants are defeated, Gaea is destroyed, and Percy returns to his rightful home.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Claymore or PJO

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Perseus' eyes snapped open, revealing his usual green and silver.

Interesting. Instead of the blood-red sky and grey clouds of what Tartarus usually displayed, the sky was…blank. Dull white. Like a classroom. There was also the ground. It wasn't the broken glass that it was supposed to be. It was sand. Black sand. And the monsters. They were more interspersed throughout the landscape then what they were before the battle. Then there was the soft, old, croaky, weak, and wheezy voice that struggled make itself heard.

 _Curse you…Perseus…Jackson…one day…I will have…my revenge…for this…humil…humlia…humiliation._

Percy sat up, still in his eight-year-old body and completely without clothes. His pendant-sword was still around his neck though. "So kicking your ass didn't kill you, just made you really weak. So weak that you can barely speak, and your domain is much bleaker than what it used to be. I wish you luck in that vengeance stuff. If you want a rematch, feel free to come at any time."

Tartarus made a sound between a growl, a moan, and a wheeze, but the Dark God's presence retreated into itself, no doubt to rest and try to gather energy. Not like Percy cared. Tartarus was strong, no doubt about that, but he was also juiced up with the combined powers of Polybotes, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, Otis, Ephialtes, Typhon, Keto, Hyperion, Krios, Koios, and a few thousand monsters…and still came up short to the Leviathan.

Let that sink in for a bit.

…

Percy looked around, searching for the Doors of Death-there they were. Probably just thirty meters away, actually. The Doors were large, chained down, and looked to be struggling to teleport away. Percy got up, shivered a bit at the feeling of the black sand clinging to him in not-so-nice places, and made his way over to the exit uninterrupted.

He pressed the button, the Doors dinged, and he went in. The doors closed, Percy pressed the button, and up he went. That rule about someone having to hold the other button for twelve minutes…yeah, that doesn't apply anymore, so sayeth the author. With the new-found peace and quiet, Percy thought about some things.

First, he needed to eat. His hunger was no longer something that could be ignored. He had already gone too long without a substantial amount of food, and he might've been able to ignore his needs until after this war, but the fight with Tartarus, and everything _in_ Tartarus, had taken too much Yoki, and too much bodily energy period. Percy was just a few ticks shy of ravenous, something that had only ever happened twice in his memory, and the last thing he wanted was to eat Annabeth.

The rest of the half-bloods would only make him feel guilty for a few days, even Frank and Hazel, but when it came down to it, Percy wouldn't care if he consumed the rest of the Seven. Besides Annabeth, duh. Speaking of dear little Annie, the Leviathan distinctly remembered a promise he made regarding what he was going to do to her upon their reunion. That time was at hand.

Back to the subject of hunger though, Percy's Yoki aura was also at an all-time low. Not even Priscilla had taken this much Yoki out of him, but that fact could also be attributed to the power of Yoki absorption and the many times Percy had used it on the One-Horned Bitch. Tartarus did not have any Yoki to absorb. Still, the Wide Smile could already feel his reserves beginning to regenerate and return.

Second, there was the matter of this pitiful excuse of a war that was going on. Percy was done with it. He was bored of it, sick of it, and just plain done. It was time to end this shit, take Annabeth with him to the Claymore-verse, and get started on his own conquest. So, when he got back up to the surface, and dealt with whatever the fuck was up there, he was gathering the Seven, and hauling ass to Athens to deal with the remaining giants, preferably prevent the awakening of Gaea (but still deal with her if she does get up and at 'em), get Hera to honor her deal, and then _leave_ this dump of dimension forever. Which leads into thirdly.

Poseidon? Sally? Paul? Their upcoming baby? Yeah, Percy didn't care for them anymore. At one point, he strongly entertained the idea of stopping by, saying hello, catching up, informing of the past, and his plans for the future, but now? Yeeeeeaaaahhhh…the Leviathan just wanted to go home already, much like a petulant child who had spent all day away from the comforts of his own house. He missed Isley. And Riful. And Luciella. And Teresa and Clair.

 _Especially_ Teresa and Clair.

DING

Oh. Twelve minutes already? Guess time flies when you're deep in thought. Percy, still naked, calmly strolled out of the elevator. Large chamber, single giant, and _approaching_ , not yet present, demigods. They all seemed to be encountering some kind of obstacle. Talk about convenient; now that small voice warning him against butchering and eating something in front of his semi-friends could shut up.

" **You! How did you get here!? What happened to my father!?"** the giant, Clytius, roared.

Percy just slowly turned to face the hulking mass of shadow and darkness. He stared at the marble eyes of the Bane of Hecate without emotion…then he broke into a disturbingly piranha-like grin showing far too many sharp teeth. Clytius didn't even know what hit him, but he did know what was chewing its way into his body and eating him from the inside out.

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

Clytius stumbled around, screaming and howling his giant head off as Percy crawled around his insides, feasting on the bountiful internal organs.

 _Black Betty had child (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _The damn thing gone wild (Bam-ba-lam)_

The giant tried poking his finger inside, to try and dig the little meat-eater out of him, but Perseus was already in too deep to be reached with fingers. Clytius continued to scream as he was eaten alive.

 _She said "I'm worryin' outta mind" (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _The damn thing gone blind (Bam-ba-Lamb)_

Clytius was growing desperate now. For some reason, his wounds weren't healing, and his insides weren't regenerating. The giant had heard of intestinal worms and such, but this was ridiculous!

 _I said oh, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

The giant slammed himself into the surrounding walls, hoping that the impact would do something to the humanoid piranha eating him from the inside. Well, it seemed to agitate the ravenous little boy. Clytius froze up, clawing at his chest as it began to bulge out. Once, twice, three times~!

POP!

 _Oh, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

Percy, covered in golden blood and bits of entrails, snared ferociously at Clytius from all fours. With an animalistic yelp, the Awakened Being launched himself at Clytius.

 _She really gets me high (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _You know that's no lie (Bam-ba-lam)_

Clytius stumbled around again as Percy gripped his face, ravishing the flesh with his claws while also chewing the giant's nose off. Clytius finally got his fist around the tiny demon, and launched him through the air. Percy slammed into a statue, and the thing collapsed on top of him.

 _She's so rock steady (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _And she's always ready (Bam-ba-lam)_

Percy popped back up through the stone. He licked his lips, savoring the taste of _ichor_. Holy shit this was some great stuff. More! Percy's body demanded. More! So the Wide Smile blurred forward for more. Lots more!

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

Percy sprinted at Clytius, sinking his razor-sharp teeth into the giant's shin. The Wide Smile ripped a juicy chunk clean off right off the leg, swallowing it whole. Then he scurried up Clytius' leg, gnawing on the flesh like it was a corncob. The Bane of Hecate hopped around on one foot, yelping and screaming as the little piranha chewed him up like an h'orderve.

Percy got tired of the right leg, and scampered up the left arm, and began feasting on that one as well. Clytius could do nothing but flail around like a loon as Percy had his fill of giant-flesh. The Awakened Being managed to burrow his way into the giant's arm, but he didn't get all the way in, so Clytius was able to grab the boy's kicking legs, rip him out (which really hurt), and flung Percy away.

The piranha-like child skid across the stone floor, painting a trail of _ichor_ as he went. He popped up, and strip of golden meat hanging from his jaws. He slurped it down his throat with a wet sound, gold caking his entire body. He grinned at Clytius, showing many _ichor_ -stained teeth at the giant.

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

The Bane of Hecate stumbled back, limping on his torn-up leg. **"What...what is** _ **wrong**_ **with you…?"**

"Lots of things. Being really hungry chief among them." Percy reached behind him, and whipped out a comically oversized knife and fork, with his eyes turning into demonically gleaming stars. "Dinner time!"

 _She's from Birmingham (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Way down in Alabam' (Bam-ba-lam)_

If you could see the giant's face, you would've seen it pale drastically. He spun on his remaining heel, and tried to hobble away, but screamed when his right leg was suddenly severed in a golden spray.

 _Well, she's shakin' that thing (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Boy she makes me sing (Bam-ba-lam)_

Percy pounced on top of the one-legged giant, and began to happily saw at Clytius' neck much like a person cuts apart their steak. Clytius just screamed his lungs out, unable to shake off the little piranha cutting off his head. Soon enough, Percy reached the other side of the thick neck, and completely decapitated Clytius.

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (BAM-BA-LAM!)_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Maybe five minutes later_

The remaining Seven finally overcame their various obstacles and made it into the stone chamber of the giants. Now, they expected many things, such as a small army of monsters, traps, weapons, the giant (obviously), the Doors of Death and more than a few other things that would make this unfair.

What they did not expect was to find two inches of gold liquid, cracked walls and broken statues, a gigantic skeleton dripping with more golden liquid, and bits of meat, and a naked little boy laying in the middle of it all...making snow angels...softly singing.

 _Ocean man, take me by the hand,_

 _Lead me to the land,_

 _That you understand,_

Annabeth recognized that voice, because it was the voice of the person she had come here to save. Sure, it was several octaves higher, lacked its usual commanding tone, and clearly belonged to a young child, but that was the unmistakable voice of Perseus Jackson.

The daughter of Athena sprinted forward, sloshing through the _ichor_ without a care in the world. The boy paused in his song, raised his head, and his eyes lit up like exploding stars. "Annie!"

Annabeth yelped when a golden bullet slammed into her, knocking her down with a grunt. She splashed down hard, but it was hardly anything for her to be worried about. She had a more pressing concern at the moment. "Percy? Why are you a child?"

"I burned a lot of power fighting Tartarus, so my body reverted to this form."

"You fought _who_!?" Piper gasped.

"Tartarus. He was a cool guy, able to actually give me a good fight. Still beat him though."

Piper's eyes rolled up into her head before she fainted. Jason and Leo were super quick to intercept before she could slam into the floor. Nico just stared wide-eyed at what his crush had done, what he was covered in, and how he made it sound like fighting one of the most powerful beings in all of mythology was like play-wrestling with an old friend.

Yeah, Annabeth and the others had filled the Ghost King in on the Leviathan, but to actually see it for his own eyes.

"Why...why are you covered in _ichor_?" the son of Hades asked.

Percy, still sitting naked on top of Annabeth, looked up with a grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. "I was _really_ hungry, and Clytius just so happened to be nearby...he tasted funny, but now I'm full, so it's all good."

This time, Nico fainted, and Hazel and Frank had to catch him. Annabeth just sighed at her boyfriend and his ability to somehow eat a giant, just taking the information in stride. "Percy, can you get off me so we can get back to the ship? And can you...age, please?"

"Oh, sure." Percy hopped off his girlfriend, and before those who were conscious' eyes, he got bigger, taller, wider, more muscular, more serious, more like he did before he hopped down into Tartarus. In less than ten seconds, Perseus had aged almost ten years.

"So," he said, voice baritone and powerful once more, "who's ready to end this war?" Annabeth was staring at his crotch, as was just about everyone else, Hazel in the same way Annabeth was, and the boys with small amounts of jealousy in their eyes. "What? Did I screw up in growing it back?"

"No," Annabeth squeaked. "Looks just fine."

"Oh, then let's go then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Outside the House of Hades_

"Right," Percy started. "Since there is literally no reason for us to waste any more time with this war...Nico, take the statue of what's-her-face back to Camp Half-Blood. Hedge go with him. Leo, set a course for Athens and tell Festus to haul overtime. Jason, get those winds in the sails. Everyone else, check your weapons and ammo, and remember: no Russian."

The Seven blinked, not getting the reference. The still-naked Percy looked at them all. "Well? Start moving."

The next few seconds became a flurry of action as Nico and Hedge vanished into a shadow, Leo scrambled to his control pad, Jason soared into the air, and the others clambered to their rooms. Except for Annabeth. She stayed behind, an expectant look on her face. "I believe you promised to do something to me when we reunited after Tartarus."

Percy grinned. "Be in your room in ten minutes. I want to shower first."

Annabeth's eyes lit up at the promise of her first time, and she eagerly went to her cabin. Percy headed for his own residence, found the bathroom, and took his shower, washing away all of the _ichor_ that dried on him. Nine minutes later, the Leviathan was ready for some action. Unlike with Reyna and Hylla, who he only fucked because it served a higher purpose, Annabeth was for love, and to cement her status as his lover, mate, and future wife.

Perseus gently knocked on Annabeth's door, and entered at the sultry 'come in.' The daughter of Athena was naked, but she was using her sheets to hide her body. The scent of her arousal was thick in the air. The Leviathan shut the door behind him, and minutes later the _Argo II_ was rocking in the air.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The other members of the Seven were trying to eat dinner, when the ship started rocking at a steady rhythm, and since they could all sense Percy's energy in the same general area of Annabeth's room, and that Annabeth was absent at the moment, it was not hardtop put two and two together.

The five teenagers shared a look, before Frank turned a meaningful look at Hazel. The girl blinked, trying to decipher the message, but when she figured it out, her face broke into a wide grin, causing Frank to grin in turn. The Romans rose form the table, and made a beeline for the exit (and Hazel's room), when Jason suddenly called out.

"Where are two going?"

"To have sex!" Hazel threw over her shoulder, neither demigod breaking stride. They were out of sight before any of the remaining three could say anything else. They were all too shocked, honestly. Percy and Annabeth, after being separated for so long because one was in Hell, they could understand going at it, but the casual way in which Hazel said they were about to have sex was…unexpected. And it triggered something in Jason.

Percy was getting some, Frank was getting some, why couldn't _he_ get some? He was the son of Jupiter, dammit! He had more cousins than insects had cells in their bodies, so why was he the one in the relationship that seemed to be hands-off only? Honestly, Percy had _fingered_ Annabeth that one night, and Frank and Hazel were right in the middle of getting it on when Chrysaor came ramming into their lives, yet the most sexual thing he and Piper had done was kiss and hug, and even then, when Jason had tried to put his tongue to work or move his hands down lower, his girlfriend pulled away.

The daughter of _Aphrodite_ didn't want to have sex with the son of _Jupiter_. There was a cosmic joke somewhere in there, and Jason wasn't laughing. His fatal flaw was kicking in, and it was making him irrational. Being the son of the King, Jason's very soul demanded that he always be on top, the alpha, the leader, the one in charge, and yet all of that was filled in by _Percy_ the son of Poseidon. The _other_ demigod. The son of the _inferior_ god.

It really pissed Jason off.

Then Piper put her hand on Jason's.

The slightly irate son of Jupiter looked at his girlfriend. She was blushing deeply, her entire face redder than a tomato, and she was looking anywhere but at him. "Uh, Jason...do you want to...um, do _it_?"

Jason's sour mood did an immediate one-eighty.

Leo deadpanned as he watched his two friends run off to rut in one of their rooms. "Oh no, no, it's not like Leo wants some action too. It wouldn't kill anybody to have a two-on-one, would it?"

Of course, that was rhetorical question, with a non-rhetorical answer. Leo pressed a button, and a pair of VR goggles dropped the ceiling into his waiting hands. He strapped them on, and was given a live feed right into Annabeth's room.

"Huh, didn't think she could stretch that far…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **That was fun. Not much action other than Perseus eating Clytius (the whole scene was inspired by that one in the 2007**_ _ **TMNT**_ _ **movie, where Raph fights the twelfth monster), but this wasn't an action chapter. It was a 'get-things-going' chapter. Also, I have another fishing tournament this Saturday at Lake Fork, so expect**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **'s next installment sometime between Monday and Thanksgiving.**_

 _ **The whole of**_ _ **Blood of Olympus**_ _ **was the Seven skipping around Southern Europe in search of the ingredients for the Physician's Cure, which brings dead people back to life, but with Percy here, how on earth is anyone going to die?**_

 _ **If you haven't already, go read my other fics, and don't forget to Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	28. End of the War Pt 2

_End of the War Pt. 2_

 _ **Well, it's been almost two months since the Leviathan has had screen time, but I think I speak for all when I say that I'm excited to be back on it, because here we get to see the big finale! Percy vs. Gaea! The end of the Second Giant War! And the arrival of some surprise guests.**_

 _ **Also, with people talking about New Year's Resolutions and what-not, my Resolution is actually doable: finish a fic.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Unknown Location_

The night sky hung over the earth like a veil. Among the black of the void, countless stars shined brilliantly. Below, the ocean sang its soft melody, the crashing of waves lulling anyone willing to listen into a soft sleep. Above the calm ocean, but below the night sky, was a cliff. The forest was thick behind the cliff, but the trees parted to allow entrance to this one spot.

The cliff upon which the young man stood jutted out sharply over the ocean. It would've been an excellent high-five spot…or a suicide location, depending on how well you could swim. There was a shift in the atmosphere, a changing of the pressure, as the humanoid form of Gaea rose from the earth.

Pale skinned, eyes closed, face hidden behind a veil, and clad in a dress seemingly sewn from blades of grass, Mother Nature didn't look all that imposing, and being shorter than five feet didn't help matters either, but any being less than a god would be wilting and burning in Gaea's presence.

The fact that the young man wasn't wilting, but was, in fact, making _Gaea_ uncomfortable, was testament to just how powerful this entity was. Gaea eyed her father warily, taking in his appearance. Black cargo shorts, black Nikes, black Nike tube socks rolled down, a black, dry-fit polo shirt, well-built, hair on his arms and legs, like most teenage males, facial hair, dark brown hair spiked up with gel, Caucasian skin, and short. As in he was only about 5'5 in height.

Gaea didn't know whose form Chaos was assuming at the moment, but she wasn't impressed. Why her father chose to take the form of random mortals was beyond her own massive comprehension, but she was not here to judge her father's choice of form, but rather try to suck up to him so she could gain leverage in the war that she was _losing_.

Oh, yes. Gaea was an ancient, wise, and powerful being. She wasn't a particularly prideful being, seeing as how she could wait for eons before making a move, so it was easy for her to admit that she was on the losing end of the spectrum. Perseus was far stronger than what she had anticipated. Even after giving her sons massive boosts in power—power great enough to trump even Zeus—the son of Poseidon didn't just triumph, he triumphed _easily_.

Not even the father of her more-favored littler of children, Tartarus, could defeat Perseus in single combat. Although, the battle had been great and taxing, and had reduced an entire planet to little more than ashes and wasteland. Gaea did not have that level of power, not yet, anyway, so she needed leverage.

Which was why she was here.

 _Father, I have come to-_

 _ **-ask me for assistance in your endeavor to defeat Perseus, and bring the Olympians down, so that you may rule the planet and guide into another golden age. Yes, I know why you have come before me, Daughter.**_

Chaos' lips never moved, nor did he even turn his head, but his voice, deeper than a black hole, richer than the wealthiest of men, more seductive than Eros, more commanding than any god, more powerful than any other being in creation, save for one, boomed and whispered from every direction. Even at her advanced age and power, Gaea still felt like curling into a little ball, like a mortal child, at the sound of her father's voice.

So harsh, yet soft. So warm, yet cold. So young, yet old. So powerful, yet weak. Chaos was a living contradiction. Although, perhaps living was not an apt description for the Creator. The First God was silent as he stared out over the ocean, then his voice assaulted and soothed Gaea once more.

 _ **Being me, I can see into googolplex upon googolplex of dimensions. Some so remarkably similar, you could spend 3,000 years upon them and not spot a single difference from another, and then some so radically different you could see what was different upon crossing the dimensional plane.**_

 _ **Dimensions where us gods do not exist in the traditional sense, called Mortal AU's. Dimensions where all are of the opposite sex, or just a small number. Dimensions in which males can procreate with other males, and females with females.**_ Chaos seemed to chuckle.

 _ **Those dimensions are always amusing. There is a beauty in the irony of it, of how Percy Jackson, a great and powerful warrior that has defeated countless enemies of great power, can exist within a godless world of high school and drama, and devote his life to being the fornication partner of Nico di Angelo, or Jason Grace, or Octavian Augustus, or Luke Castellan, or all four at once.**_

Gaea's couldn't really move her face, but she seemed perturbed.

 _ **There is an ironic beauty…and a hideous revulsion. How mortals can think up such malformed dimensions…why God decided free will for the mortals was a good idea, I shall never comprehend.**_ Chaos snorted. _**Free will and humans…that didn't work ninety millennia ago. The 'First Civilization,' as they were called…eons into the future. Ha! First Civilization, more like Failed Experiment.**_

While confused over what this had to do with anything, Gaea did indeed remember the First Civilization, and the beings that were created first, who in turn created modern man. The Isu, or something like that.

 _ **Now…I believe you were asking me for assistance with your war. Very well, I shall help you.**_

… _just like that?_

 _ **My dear daughter, when you get to be my age, when you have seen as many realities and alternate universes as I have, you will find that boredom makes itself known toy you every 500,000 years or so. Right now, I am bored, and so I shall help you.**_

Chaos still hadn't moved from his position at the edge of the cliff, but a bright, swirling portal, like a miniature galaxy, boomed alive to the god's left. Chaos reached into the portal, and pulled out a brown-haired girl in a brown tunic, and lazily tossed the unconscious child over his shoulder. Gaea's arms rose and caught the airborne girl just as the portal disappeared.

 _Thank you, Father_

Gaea sank back into the ground, taking Clare with her. A smirk slid across Chaos' face.

 _ **Oh, it was my pleasure, Daughter. But, do not think you can play with fire, little girl, and not get burned. When Perseus learns of what you now have, Michael himself will hesitate to cross blades with him. My, I can already see the dimensions branching out from this point in time…yes. Such glorious entertainment this will bring.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Remind me again why we're stopping here instead of going straight to Athens?"

"Because you told us all that you could sense a large amount of individual energies on the island, and we talked it over as a group, you included, and we all decided it was best to investigate before something bad caught us off-guard."

"Okay. But why am I not going, Wise Girl?"

"Because, Seaweed Brain, your Yoki is too powerful, and can be felt for miles. We're trying _not_ to scare off the inhabitants of that island."

"…fine. Just come back in one piece. I'd prefer not to level the Underworld. Uncle Hades and I are on almost-friendly terms."

"Worry wort, I'll be fine. I promise."

Perseus and Annabeth shared a kiss, before the daughter of Athena walked down the plank to join Piper and Jason for their joint recon mission. The Leviathan watched his mate leave, and snorted good naturedly at the deliberate sway she put in her hips.

"So, uh, what now, guys?" Leo asked from the helm. Hazel and Frank were side-by-side at the railing. The Wide Smile glanced at them, a familiar teasing gleam in his eye, a gleam the Romans picked up on instantly. Perseus looked at Leo.

"Now? Now us three men are going to perform triple penetration on Hazel while Piper and Annabeth double-team Jason with their strap-ons."

" _WHAT!?"_

The New Roman Emperor and his two subjects burst into a fit of laughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not even a full ten minutes later, and everything had already gone to Hell in a handbasket. Jason got stabbed, Juno appeared, and Perseus made sure his Yoki could be felt, and Annabeth had flashed Morse code to Leo for some reason. They did know that he could sense the movements of their energy, right?

Anyway, the short version was that they needed to go to Olympia and capture Nike, the rampant victory goddess, in order to better bolster the power of the Athena Parthenos. So that was what the _Argo II_ was currently doing. Heading for Olympia, Greece.

Which was _not_ in the direction of Athens, so when the giant canoe was over the site of ruins, just doing a recon run, Perseus leapt the railing and sailed down Anakin Skywalker style—Annabeth even completed the moment by looking down after him, saying, "I hate it when he does that,"—and landed harmlessly among the stones.

Not wasting any more time than what he had to, Percy said loudly, "Adidas shoes are better!"

The effects were astounding.

"NO THEY AREN'T! HOW DARE YOU COMPARE TO ME OFF-BRAND SHOES! YOU WILL DIE NOW!"

Deeply unimpressed, Perseus turned around, and was still unimpressed. Gold chariot, white horses, gold-tipped spear pointing at his eye, braided dark hair, wild black eyes, pale skin, ethereal beauty, sleeveless white ancient-Greek dress, bracers of gold, and a golden laurel in her hair. Oh, and gigantic wings sprouting from her back that were also made of solid gold.

"Right then. Thank you for showing up, and I shall now commence the action of kicking your ass and taking you with me."

"FOOL!"

Nike reared her spear back, and thrust it forward. The smile on Perseus' face never left him, even when the spear tore right through his skull and into the dirt behind him, but there was no blood. The afterimage of the grinning Leviathan faded, and the goddess of victory was on the receiving end of a particularly powerful punch, right to the side of the head.

Perseus misjudged the fragility of the goddess' skull, and the amount of strength in his fist, so what ended up happening was that Nike's cranium exploded in a shower of golden chunks. The Leviathan deadpanned when he saw this, glanced at his fist, then to the headless corpse.

Fist.

Corpse.

Fist.

Pile of golden dust.

"Well shit…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _You killed Victory!?"_

"To be fair…she's just reforming in Tartarus."

" _Percy!"_

"Well, what do you want me to say? 'Sorry for blowing apart Nike's head like a tangerine. Didn't think your skull was that sensitive.' I thought she could take a hit!"

"She wasn't Tartarus! A love tap would've been enough to knock her out!"

"That's what I gave her!"

Annabeth sighed frustratedly. "Please. Control. Your. Strength."

"I. Will. Do. My. Best."

" _Percy…"_

" _Annabeth…"_

Off to the side, Piper leaned next to Frank and whispered, "Should we stop this?"

It was then that the daughter of Aphrodite noticed that the son of Mars was eating out of a barrel of buttered popcorn that he was sharing with Hazel and Leo…and that all three were wearing 3D glasses. "You kidding," Frank said, mouth full of buttery goodness, "this is the best TV on the planet. Want some popcorn?"

Piper stared for a moment, before she just decided to accept that this was the reality in which she lived. "Sure, gimme some."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Leo, how far away are from Athens?"

"Meh, about a day or so, give or take a few hours."

"Thank you."

Percy promptly scooped Annabeth up bridal style, making her eep in surprise, and headed for his cabin. Before disappearing, the Emperor threw over his shoulder, "I'm not dying tomorrow, but I can't say the same for the rest of you idiots. So, I suggest getting to know your girl one more time before the final battle."

With that, the Leviathan and his mate disappeared.

Instead of sailing all the way around the Peloponnesian Peninsula, which would've taken many more days' worth of travel, involved a lot more needless confrontation with unnecessary bullshit, and only serve the purpose of seriously pissing Perseus off, the Seven had sailed smack-dab across the whole of the Peninsula, heading straight for Athens. No monsters or rogue gods had been dumb enough to attack the ship, for Perseus' Yoki aura was constantly saturating the _Argo II_.

The ship gave off an aura of danger more potent than that of an angry Zeus.

Hazel looked at Frank, and Frank returned the look. Soon enough, those two were heading for the cabins, their intentions obvious to anyone with half a brain. Next, it was Jason and Piper's turn to leave, but before they left, the son of Jupiter said to Leo, "Hey man, this'll sound weird but…we're both fine if you want to, you know…join in."

Leo blinked, visibly stunned by the offer to have sex with Piper alongside Jason, but the Mexican elf declined. He already had a hot girl waiting for him on an island that couldn't be found twice. Nodding, 'Jasper' left to get their game on, while Leo held his hands out. From the ceiling, a box of Kleenex and a thing of lotion fell into his waiting palms.

Now set, the son of Hephaestus began drawing up fantasies of what he and Calypso were going to do when they had some private time. One particular fantasy had Leo moaning aloud, "Oh, you dirty bitch work the _shaft_ …"

Long story short, the _Argo II_ could now add 'sex-site' to its long list of descriptions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally, the day had come. The _Argo II_ had parked a safe distance away from the _massive_ gathering of monsters, but that was little conciliation for anyone besides Perseus. The Leviathan was perfectly fine with everyone staying here while he went to deal with the army himself, but the half-bloods were insistent on aiding him.

 _We started this together, we're ending this together._

Fine. Whatever floats your boat. It's just not Perseus' fault if you end up crushed underfoot or speared from behind. Then again, it wasn't like there was anything in the Underworld capable of keeping the Leviathan from pulling your soul back out if you died.

Right now, the plan was for Piper, Annabeth, and Perseus to stealthily infiltrate the encampment, and stealthily disarm any and all war machines. When they got caught, or when they finished their campaign for disarmament, the _Argo II_ would swoop in from above, ballistae blazing, and everyone would hope the gods showed up to end this otherwise there would be a lot of Perseus smacking around giants.

Goodbyes and good lucks said, the trio disembarked from the canoe, and headed for the tunnel entrance that would take them straight to the army. Before entering, Perseus grabbed Annabeth's arm, pulling her to him.

"Stay beside me at all times, please."

Gray eyes narrowed as pride made itself known. "Are you saying that I can't handle myself?"

" _I'm saying_ that if you went swimming right now, you'd be considered a human submarine."

Annabeth and Piper both blinked as their minds began working out just what exactly that meant. Naturally, the daughter of Athena worked it out first. "Are you saying that I'm pregnant?"

"You have been since the first time we had sex. I've got some really powerful soldiers. I think I'm sensing triplets. It's hard to tell, they're all so tiny."

Annabeth and Piper both gasped, before the Cherokee began gushing. "Oh, Annabeth! Congratulations you two! We need to start planning the baby shower, the rooms, the clothes, the names. Annabeth, we need three girls' names and three boys' names. We need to plan for three girls, or three boys, or two girls and one boy, or two boys and one girl, and-oh. Sorry."

The Leviathan and his mate weren't listening to Piper's ramblings. They were hugging, tightly, calmly, serenely. Eye closed and arms around the other. Piper had never seen such a peaceful picture, and it made her wonder if she herself was pregnant, and if so, was that how Jason would hug her?

Perseus and Annabeth separated, and the man placed a kiss on his lover's brow. "This is why I wanted you to stay aboard, and let me handle everything."

Annabeth smiled softly. "I'm carrying _your_ kids here. If they're going to be anything like their daddy, then fighting and battle is going to be their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The babies and I will be fine."

"I suppose they will be, won't they? Morbid as though it may sound, if you do die, I'll be at the Underworld soon enough to get you and the babies out."

Annabeth reached up to kiss her lover. "You're going to be a great father."

"And you're going to be an even better mother."

Annabeth hummed contentedly at the praise, and wrapped her arms back around her Perseus. Off to the side, Piper coughed awkwardly. "It's fantastic that you two are having kids, but, uh, we do have a world to save."

"We do, don't we? Ready, Annie?" Perseus grinned cheekily.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Exceptionally so, Seaweed Brain."

"Then let's put the spaghetti in the machine and make some dinner! I'm hungry."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trip through the tunnel was uneventful, except for the serpent people, but they were taken care of with an application of Charmspeak and finger tendrils. Annabeth blushed at the sight of the elongating fingers, memories of Perseus' _skill_ with those digits coming to surface.

After that, they stumbled upon an area with a massive trident-like scar upon the earth, and Annabeth deduced that this was where Poseidon had once struck the earth with his symbol of power. The Leviathan thought he was supposed to feel some type of emotional connection to this place; all he felt was boredom, and a desire to move on.

The trio reached the end of the tunnel, where the army was gathered. Perseus sensed the energies of exactly 12,000 monsters and six giants. The Leviathan also said he sensed something very…off. Everyone here was too lax, too calm for the situation at hand. The Wide Smile wasn't even being arrogant when he said that his impending arrival should've had these monsters pissing themselves in fear, and yet all of them were chillaxing about like this was a family barbeque.

 _That_ was what had Perseus on edge. Something had happened to give the giants confidence, and anything that gave anybody confidence against the _Leviathan_ was something to be reckoned with. Perseus didn't like it.

Still, the mission went on, and Piper masked the three of them in Mist and magic, altering their forms to match those of any monster. Piper struck out on her own, and, as per Perseus' request/order/command, Annabeth stayed close to him. In any other situation, the daughter of Athena would've been a mix of annoyed and insulted at having to be glued at her lover's hip like a helpless princess, but the revelation that she was pregnant with what might be triplets had changed the mother-to-be's outlook.

If being by her lover's side for all time meant the safety of her children, then Annabeth would so gladly.

The mission went along smoothly. Piper weaved through the crowd, discreetly sabotaging all equipment she came across. Ballistae, catapults, scorpions, rams, onagers, and more. Likewise, Perseus and Annabeth were doing the same. There were close calls, like getting too close to a monster, or one particularly keen beast would sniff the air, but other than that, everything was fine.

Then Piper saw a young, mortal girl, all trussed up and guarded by giants. The surprise of the situation cost the daughter of Aphrodite.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Wide Smile sighed to himself when he sensed Piper get exposed, which caused the Mist around him and Annabeth to dissipate, and expose them as well. Perseus was already channeling Yoki through his body, picking out targets, when Porphyrion's voice boomed over the entire army.

"PERSEUS JACKSON! UNLESS YOU WANT THIS MORTAL GIRL TO DIE, YOU WILL COME BEFORE ME, NOW!"

Despite now being surrounded by edgy monsters, some leering, some watching warily, and some were downright afraid, Perseus raised a brow. Was that it? These ass-crackers thought that a mortal girl was enough to make him surrender? Had these jackwagons _not_ been paying attention to his life? Complete strangers—complete _human_ strangers meant less than dirt to the Leviathan.

However, Annabeth was still human, still compassionate, and her imploring look had her mate sighing, and making his way through the crowd. Perseus broke through the monster ranks, wasn't surprised to see Piper being held down, or Porphyrion grinning smugly, but when the giant stepped to the side, the Leviathan's rage consumed all.

"Percy!" Clare desperately cried.

Oh, Percy was about to go nuclear on this army, but the extended hand of Porphyrion gave him pause. "Careful, _Leviathan_ ," the giant smirked. "Notice the ropes that bind her, notice the stone upon which she kneels, notice the collar around her throat. There is magic present here, half-blood, and I shall explain it to you, seeing as this is now the bargaining stage of the story.

"The ropes that bind Clare are magically tied to me, and all others present. Whatever happens to just one of us, will happen to Clare. Like so," Porphyrion pulled a knife, and lightly nicked his own face. Clare gasped when that same cut appeared on her cheek; the giant healed, the girl did not. "The collar around her neck is tied to the stone. Should the collar go more than an inch outside the stone's boundaries, or go too high… _boom_. Instant death. Further, should anyone not keyed to stone's magic get too close, also boom."

Perseus' eyes were pools of pure sea-green, and his black hair with white tips was floating around his face. "What do want, Giant King?"

"Blood. The blood of a male, and of a female. Both are required to wake my mother, and both constraints can be filled be you, Perseus. Now, start bleeding, or your precious Clare will die." Porphyrion brought his knife to his throat, ready to spill his own life.

Piper and Annabeth remained silent, because both knew of the place Clare had in Perseus' heart, and Clare herself remained silent because she was afraid that the tall Yoma-like creature was going to kill her before Percy could save her.

Perseus glared at the Giant King with pure loathing, even though it could not be seen in his pure-colored eyes. Raising right arm up to where it was parallel to the ground, he brought his left arm across his body, turned his pointer into a claw, and slit his forearm. Purple freely spilled from the wound, and saturated the earth.

Monsters laughed, howled, banged their shields, stamped the ground, roared, clapped, and made all sorts of raucous.

"Now, your female blood," Porphyrion grinned, and dug the knife into his skin, drawing a thin line of gold. Clare's throat began leaking a thin line of red, making Percy growl. Regardless, the Leviathan shifted in form. His face became softer, his arms daintier, his hair longer-reaching his waist-his waist thinned, his hips widened, his chest ballooned, and his clothes fit him differently than what they should have.

Annabeth blinked at how _beautiful_ her lover looked as a woman, Piper couldn't believe that someone as masculine as Perseus could look so soft, and the Giant King was licking his lips. "My, my. I'll think I'm reconsidering taking Hera as my wife. Yes, after this war ends and the Olympians are destroyed, I'll lock you in that form, and ravish you until my stamina is spent. But," Porphyrion sighed sadly, "work must come before play. Now, _bleed_ …girl. Ha!"

Perseus' scowl deepened, something that managed to make Porphyrion sweat a little. Still, the female Awakened Being reached back across her chest, and re-split her forearm, seeing as how it regenerated just seconds ago. Once again, purple blood was split upon the earth, and, like last time, the liquid just disappeared into the earth.

The ground pulsed and a huge gust of wind tore through the valley in which the army was occupying. Carried upon the wind was a whisper: _Awake…awake…awake._

Gaea was now up and about.

The army roared in triumph, but the sound of 12,000 victorious monsters was drowned out by the sound of one _very_ angry Leviathan. Yoki exploded out of the Awakened Being, more Yoki than the combined essence of the army, giants included, and nearby monsters were thrown away. Porphyrion barely registered a streak of green that tore past him, but when he looked down, he saw an empty stone dais, a collar lying on the ground, torn up ropes, and a missing girl.

Oh, and his head was sliding off his shoulders.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clare had seen Percy like this before. Eyes glowing, teeth sharpened, lips pulled back, hair dancing, muscles rippling, and Yoki flowing, but she had never Percy-as-a-girl do it. And somehow, it was even scarier than when Percy-as-a-boy did it.

" **Stay here, Clare. I'll be right back."** Clare shivered. Even Percy-as-a-girl's Yoma voice was scarier than Percy-as-a-boy's Yoma voice. Her piece said, Percy-as-a-girl leapt off the top of the mountain, a torrent of sea-green Yoki pouring from her. Clare hid behind a rock. She did _not_ want to see to ensuing carnage that would follow in the wake of her best friend's wrath.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At some point, the _Argo II_ came sailing into the fray. At some point, the rest of the Seven began fighting against the army, Hazel on Arion, Frank as a dragon—there were two Sparti tearing through monster ranks—Jason throwing around lightning bolts and super-gusts like party favors, Leo operating every weapon his canoe had to offer via Wii remote, and Piper and Annabeth were using a pair of unsabotaged scorpions to take potshots at monsters. At some point, the Olympians themselves descended upon the battlefield, all armored up and drawn by chariots.

At some point, everyone realized that they would be caught in the rampage of Percy, and slowly backed away, letting the Leviathan vent her rage. Percy still hadn't switched back to a man yet, and no one felt like saying anything, although the Olympians were deeply confused…and fearful.

Perseus had become an incomprehensible streak of green light. She whipped and raged across the battlefield, tearing apart monsters by the hundreds in single movements, ripping massive fissures into the earth. The remaining giants present, Orion, Hippolytus, Mimas, Thoon, and Periboia, didn't even get a chance to test out their new powers given to them by the Earth Mother, as Percy was tearing them apart before they even knew what was happening.

Orion's arms were ripped off, then his head smashed into paste. Hippolytus was split right down the middle, and then the two halves were launched in different directions. Mimas had his arm ripped off, shoved through his chest, his other arm ripped off, and shoved through his skull. Thoon, the old-looking giant, had his walking stick stolen from him, and then he exploded into a bunch of little chunks after a series of brown streaks rippled across his body. Periboia, the only female giant, and the daughter of the late-Porphyrion, had her breasts torn off her body, then her legs severed at the knee, and then her spine ripped out of her body on her way down.

All of that in less than three seconds.

Aphrodite gaped. "Uh, she isn't on her period, is she?"

"Why is my son a girl?"

"You're worried your offspring's gender, Kelp Head? You should be more concerned over the fact that she's tearing an entire army apart with her bare hands, and that she's killing giants without the aid of a god."

"Irrelevant. Why is my son a girl?"

"Priorities, Poseidon."

"Agreed, Zeus…will someone please tell me why my son is a girl."

"Uh, Lord Poseidon?"

"Yes, Annabeth?"

"Your son is a girl because she has shape-shifting powers-"

"I know that."

"-and because the giants strong-armed her into turning into a girl so that she could cover both parts of the 'blood of a male, blood of a female' thing to wake Gaea up."

"You mean the Earth Goddess wakes?"

"It would appear so, Father."

"Why do you sound so calm about this!?"

Athena gestured to the carnage. "I think we shall be fine, Father."

"Uh, Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Um…hi."

"C'mere, Son, and give your old man a hug!"

Apollo sniffed. "Why can't he be like that with us?"

Artemis just shrugged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus stared at the gods. The gods stared back. The rest of the Seven, including Clare (introductions were short) stood awkwardly off to the side. Poseidon stepped forward, "Son?"

"Do I look like a boy to you?"

"Uh…daughter?"

"Meh…still not appropriate."

"Then what do you want me to call you!?"

Perseus sniffled, her big, mismatched eyes watering. Poseidon immediately felt bad for making his…child…cry. Aphrodite nodded. "Definitely on her period," she whispered to herself.

"Mom!"

"You know she is, Piper," the love goddess complained.

Demeter grabbed Poseidon's ear, harshly. "Now look at what you've done, you twat! You made your baby girl cry. Now go up to her, give her a big hug, and tell her you're sorry this instant young man, or I'm making you eat sushi again!"

Poseidon paled. "Y-Yes ma'am!" The Sea God approached his sniffling daughter, who immediately turned her back to him. Poseidon gently put his arms around her, and began whispering softly, "Hey, hey now. Shh, shh. Daddy didn't mean to yell, he's just a little confused is all."

"…promise?"

"Promise."

"…okay."

Perseus turned spun around, tightly wrapping her arms and legs around her father's neck and waist, respectively. Now facing the Seven, her back to the gods, Perseus flashed a victory sign and an impish grin wide enough to make her eyes shut. The six demigods groaned. This was just another one of Percy's games!

Then Gaea's voice came whispering from everywhere.

 _As amusing as it is to watch my nemesis play with the emotions of her father, there is business that requires attention. Because of Little Percy's Yoki-enriched blood being used to revive me, I'm stronger now than when I was first born from my father. With this new power, I've raised up every monster since before the Second Titanomachy,_ _and_ _brought forth all my Giant children back from Tartarus. How convenient that Romans and Greeks have all come together at Camp Half-Blood. You cannot save them from their destruction._

Gaea's presence faded, leaving a bunch of very concerned Greeks and Romans.

"Why the fuck are all of you just staring? We have a world to save, right? Chop-chop!"

"Percy…shouldn't we tell everyone about _that_ , before someone might die?"

"You want to tell them now?"

"Tell us what? What are you hiding Percy?" Poseidon set his child down, and the Owl-spawn came to stand beside her. Funny, Perseus was still a head taller than Annabeth. The blonde rubbed her flat, toned stomach reverently. "I'm pregnant."

The world stopped moving for a few seconds, before Athena exploded.

" _WHAT!? POSEIDON, YOU'RE BRAT KNOCKED MT DAUGHTER UP!? UNACCEPTABLE!"_

Perseus grabbed Annabeth protectively. "Mine."

"Can you turn back into a man, please? Thank you, Percy."

In a few seconds, the Leviathan was back to his male self. Athena was still fuming. The Wide Smile coughed. "World to save, remember?"

"Yes," Zeus said, cutting in before anything else could happen that would only serve to prolong this headache-inducing family drama. The Sky God began glowing, and the rest of the Olympians followed suit. The half-bloods and Clare closed their eyes. They were suddenly all really warm, before the air changed, the pressure changed, the ground changed, and the smell changed.

Cracking their eyes open, the Seven plus Clare saw that they were at the enlarged mess hall of Camp Half-Blood, right in the middle of lunch, apparently, given the attendance of 300 or so teens and kids wearing purple and orange. The gods were gone, probably because Zeus wanted to make a grand entrance at some point.

The Seven plus Clare were on the receiving end of a great many wide-eyed stares, before Perseus stepped forward, drawing all attention back to him. The people in orange looked like they had just seen a ghost. The Leviathan looked around, taking note of Octavian, Reyna, Hylla (surprise), Nico, Thalia (and the Huntresses), Chiron, and…Lupa. Why was she here? Perseus shook his head, clearing his head of errant thoughts.

"Percy? Is that…is that you, my boy?" Chiron asked slowly.

Before the Leviathan could answer, an oppressive and smothering aura blanketed the area. Clouds rolled in, covering the sky in a dreary overcast. The ground rumbled, and from probably three miles away, the sound of shattering and tearing earth could be heard loud and clear. Then it stopped. Everyone looked lost.

"Well!?" Perseus roared. "The enemy is at our gates! Don't just stand there, launch an immediate counter attack! Go! GO!"

The mess hall became a complete mess as 300 half-bloods went scrambling to their positions, everyone screaming and barking orders, and magical alarms blearing loudly. Perseus looked at those behind him. "Um, you guys get going too."

Everyone scrambled away, except for Clare and Annabeth.

"You two stay by me. I don't want anything happening to either of you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus whistled at what was going on less than 200 yards away from him. Across the barren field of grass and dirt was Gaea's risen army. A gigantic, writhing mass of every monster imaginable. The amount of beasts present spanned an area so wide, it almost disappeared over the horizon. In front of the convoluted mass of meat was none other than the Banes of Olympus themselves…and all of them were zeroed in on Perseus.

On the Leviathan's side, he had formed ranks of purple-clad teens and leather-clad females to his right, complete with electric eagle stick, and a mass of orange-and-silver-clad teens to his left. Everyone looked nervous as fuck, and Perseus could not blame them. Hell, even he was just a tad intimidated by what he was looking at.

It might actually require _effort_ to win this, and there would no doubt be a hefty number of dead bodies after this was resolved.

Ah, the joys of war.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _With the Fates_

"Should we bring _them_ in?" Clotho asked.

"We allowed Gaea to bring her army," Lachesis said.

"Yes, I think we should bring _them_ in," said Atropos.

"Then let's do it, sisters."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clare and Annabeth by his side, Perseus was about to give a brief speech to bolster morale and confidence, but there was a _ripple_. A wave of distortion that washed over the battlefield. It had no physical effect on anything, but Perseus could sense it, or rather, sense _them_.

A fog rolled in from the sea, covering the battlefield in its murky embrace. Weapons were bared and guards were at an all-time high, but Perseus did not fear. Instead, he began to giggle. Softly at first, to where only those right next to him could hear it, but his giggles quickly picked up in intensity, becoming deep chuckles that rumbled deeply. From the direction of the sea, silhouettes could be seen in the fog.

95 silhouettes, to be exact.

Percy began cackling like a madman, drawing many disturbed and fearful looks.

The silhouettes drew closer, and now they could be identified. Humans; men and women. All shapes and sizes. But there was something wrong. The silhouettes…the people…they all had glowing eyes. The majority of the people had deep, golden eyes, but one man had glowing silver eyes (which had an interesting effect on the Huntresses), a small girl had glowing red eyes, a woman that seemed to be wearing a dress had bright yellow eyes, and one man, the one at the head of the phantom procession, had glowing icy-blue eyes.

But there was one main anomaly.

The footsteps of the approaching people all sounded like shoes scuffing the dirt and stamping upon blades of grass, but there was one person, a woman wearing a cape of sorts it looked like, a woman whose eyes were glowing bright white, that wasn't making the sounds of scuffing shoes. It sounded like the woman was wearing armor, based on the clinking.

Perseus and Clare's eyes both widened as matching grins broke out on their faces.

"Teresa!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Next chapter is going to be so much fun. And Annabeth is preggers.**_

 _ **Please Fav, Follow, and Review!**_


	29. End of the War Pt Final

_End of the War Pt. Final_

 _ **We are a handful of reviews away from the big five-oh-oh. This is going to be it. The final, climactic battle between the Awakened Army, the Grecian Monster Army, and between Perseus and Gaea. Spoiler warning: it's going to be epic.**_

 _ **Also, Chaos' dialogue last chapter, and Gaea remembering the 'Isu,' yeah, that was an Easter Egg for the future Assassin's Creed fic I'm going to work on. Go re-read it if you're lost.**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Teresa!" Perseus and Clare exclaimed in tandem. The Faint Smile blinked, wondering how Clare had somehow become not at her side, and why her little brother was…older. And also wearing strange clothing…and flying at her, shrinking midflight. Teresa's arms shot out, catching the now-ten-ish-year-old-boy. Percy giggled, reaching up to grab the Claymore's cheeks.

Teresa ignored the little boy playing with her face, shifted him over, supporting his weight with one arm, and then caught the flying young teenage girl that had launched herself at the Claymore. "I take it you two are happy to see me then?"

Clare nodded vigorously, while Percy chirped, "Yep!" and continued playing with his big sister's cheeks.

"And where have you been, Little Brother? You went to take a nap, and then you were suddenly gone."

"Saving the world. It was _really_ boring, because everyone here is weaker than a new-born Yoma. What's been happening with you?"

"We have been looking for you, old friend," came the smooth voice of the Silver King Isley. "You have been missing for five days now."

"Oh, good. I was worried I would miss the start of the war. How did you people end up here?"

"We were gathering at my castle," Riful piped up, "all the regiments, about to discuss what to do in your absence, when a heavy fog rolled in from nowhere."

"The fog engulfed us, robbing us of our senses, and then we felt your Yoki, and now we're here," Luciela finished.

"What exactly was all of _that_ to our right?" Rigaldo asked.

Percy, still sitting comfortably in the crook of Teresa's arm, his clothes very baggy on him, gained a look of deep thought…as he played with his sister's cheeks. "Hmm…" His mismatched eyes lit up suddenly, an idea popping into his head.

He hopped down from Teresa's arm, and scrambled to get in front of the leadership, consisting of Thalia, Octavian, Reyna, Hylla, Clarisse, Nico, Annabeth, Chiron, and Lupa. It was a very comical sight, what with his loose clothes and juvenile appearance. No one knew what to think about this, aside from Annabeth and Nico, but the Ramirez sisters were more at a loss than anyone else.

The man that had taken their virginity, the man that had dominated them both, the man that had screwed them silly…was now a child of maybe ten years, with an angelic face, big, wide, mismatched eyes, dual-colored hair swept over his left eye, and comically large clothes hanging off his small, fragile frame.

"Good news!" Percy chirped happily. "The war is over and none of you have to die today! Just let me and my army take care of the heavy lifting, and everything will be great!"

Before anything could be said to try and gain a better understanding of the sheer madness that was going on right now, Percy toddled back to Teresa, and promptly leapt back into her arm. The fog had lifted, and the Awakened Beings had all gathered together, so now the Greeks, Romans, Huntresses, Amazons, and wolves could all see them.

A hundred or so men and women, all dressed in tunics and dresses and trousers and boots like they were from the Medieval Ages, but they were…different. Their eyes gleamed with ravenous hunger, their bodies exuded a very dangerous aura, and all of them possessed an ethereal, unreal feeling about them.

Percy addressed his troops. "Soldiers! We have been blessed with today with a grand opportunity. As you all know, we start a war of our own in just a few days, a war to conquer and destroy. We have trained for decades, waiting for the time to strike, and while that time is still a ways off, what we have here is a chance to practice all that we've learned against a living, breathing, moving army!"

The Awakened Beings all roared and cheered.

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle! Steel yourselves for conflict, and stave your hunger! Dinner comes later! For now, we fight!"

The Awakened Beings blurred around, settling into a formation. Teresa turned her body, her armor clanking, still holding on to her loved ones. There were three distinct groups, a big one in the middle, a smaller one to the left, and the last even smaller than that to the right. They formed rectangles, with a total of five rows of soldiers, each row with a varying amount of personnel in it. In front of each rectangle was a person.

The left group had a hulking man in front. The middle group had a young man leading. The right group had a young woman leading. Behind each group was their corresponding general. Riful to the left, Isley in the middle, and Luciella to the right. Percy, Teresa and Clare stood behind all of this.

"Lieutenants, forward!" the Leviathan barked from his big sister's arm. Dauf, Rigaldo, and Rafaela started walking towards the giants and the monsters. The fog had cleared out, and the noonday sun shined brightly overhead, illuminating the battlefield. Even with the absurdly large number of enemies in front of them, none of the lieutenants felt any amount of fear. Those big ones, the presumed commanders, weren't any more powerful than your average Yoma. They were just…tall.

When the lieutenants were 50 paces away from their army, they began to change. However, there was no monumental explosion of Yoki, no altering of the landscape, and no unnecessary screaming at the top of the lungs. Instead, Dauf, Rigaldo, and Rafaela were surrounded in a dense aura of their Yoki, their eyes glowing with power.

Dauf's body bulged and mutated, with massive rods of steel rebar poking out of him. In seconds, the ground was shaking under the massive weight that was the Awakened Dauf. Rigaldo's body also expanded, his jaw elongated, and his hair erupted into a massive mane. In seconds, the humanoid lion that was the Awakened Rigaldo walked the earth. Rafaela changed, growing taller, more muscular, a tail sprouting from her back, and scales lining her body. In seconds, the demonic, humanoid chameleon that was the Awakened Rafaela was strolling leisurely at the Banes of Olympus.

It was a trick the army and picked up. Calm Awakening, as it was called. Instead of wasting Yoki, letting it shoot out all around you in a wild, shockwave-inducing gale, you let it flow, altering your body into your Awakened form. It was quicker, seamless, and displayed a degree of control over yourself that was admittedly impressive.

That being said, both sides of the battlefield were rendered speechless by the sudden transformation of unknowns into terrifying beasts. All except for the Seven, because they knew of the Awakened Army, and what kind of hideous abominations were within.

"First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth rows…go kick some ass!" Percy cheered loudly.

As the lieutenants continued their leisurely stroll to the continuously-getting-more-nervous army, the rest of the Awakened Army moved forward, one row at a time, and just like their commanders, they were shrouded in their Yoki auras, the air getting heavier and heavier with each glow. Greeks, Romans, Amazons, Huntresses, divine wolves, giants, and monsters alike all watched with increasing trepidation and horror as almost 100 men and women morphed into a massive congregation of demons.

Humanoids, beasts, hideous abominations. Creatures of all shapes and sizes grew to confront the Banes of Olympus. The pressure of so much Yoki in the air had an atmospheric effect. The light that filtered into the surrounding area was warped and twisted, turning everything scathing shades of red, yellow, and orange, like a bloody sunset. The ground cracked and fissured, and the pressure in the air almost made it impossible to breath. Many began wheezing and shifting uncomfortably, and not just half-bloods.

A creature roared. Whether it was an Awakened Being, a giant, or a monster didn't matter, nor was it relevant, because that roar was the equivalent of this war's 'shot heard round the world.' The ground exploded and buckled under the force of _ninety_ Awakened Beings all simultaneously launching themselves forward with a burst of Yoki.

To the half-bloods, the monstrous things seemingly disappeared into thin air. To the monsters, they were all suddenly being ripped apart as Awakened Beings seemingly teleported right into the center of their ranks, crushing dozens, and slaughtering hundreds more in nanoseconds. Not even an hour earlier, 12,000 of the assembled monsters had been decimated by Percy _alone_ , who didn't enter his Awakened form.

Now, the size of the army had probably been at least doubled, but the size of the attacking force had also increased by a factor of ninety, and each one was stronger than any giant, or any Titan or god, for that matter. Perhaps the only thing going for the monsters was that their generals, the Giants, had each taken on a new form of power, and were slightly evening out the playing field, but the powers of the lieutenants and some of the higher-tiered Awakened Beings were _easily_ handling the Banes of Olympus.

Meanwhile, back on the side of the good guys, everyone, baring the Seven, were watching the carnage with wide eyes. _This_ was Percy's army? It was a bunch of ravenous, bloodthirsty, horrifying beasts. But no one said anything. They were all too afraid. Afraid that if they moved or breathed wrong, those beasts would be upon them. Not even the Hunters and Amazons could offer up any snarky comments about how females were superior. From what they were watching, the females were just as bad as the males.

The air was filled with the screaming of terrified animals, and the tearing of flesh. The smaller Awakened Beings used their superior speed to dash between enemy ranks, tearing apart monsters left and right in bloody displays of surgical precision, littering the ground with guts and entrails. The bigger Awakened Beings used their massive size to crush all around them, and easily shrug off the pitiful weaponry of a clearly inferior army.

The Giants, all of them, all that had been previously defeated by Perseus or otherwise, had been resurrected by Gaea, and empowered, yet their new forms proved useless in the long run. Rigaldo himself was successfully battling three Giants, without showing any signs of strain. Although, perhaps the most disturbing part of the gory show was the fact that nothing was turning into golden dust. The ground was quickly becoming indistinguishable from the insides of a monster.

Blood layered the dirt, and small islands of eviscerated corpses and bits of viscera littered the ocean of red. It had taken _minutes_ for ninety Awakened Beings to carve through over 25,000 monsters of various species. The super-Yoma were just too fast, too durable, too _powerful_. Percy and Clare had watched the slaughter from the comfort of Teresa's arms, but the event wasn't over.

Divine rules were still being applied, and that was the only reason the Giants were still breathing, because you needed a god and demigod working together to kill them. However, the Banes of Olympus were literally having to pull themselves together.

Percy tugged on Teresa's hair, and the Claymore leaned down so he could whisper in her ear. When he was done, Teresa nodded. Percy hopped down and took off with a cheer, and the Faint Smile set the confused Clare down. "Teresa?"

"Don't worry. Percy and I are going to have a little bonding time is all."

"Okay. Just don't take too long, please."

Teresa chuckled. "You know how much of a handful Percy can be."

Clare sighed in exasperation at the nature of her best friend. "Yeah, he is, but you can reign him in, right?"

"I can only try, child, I can only try."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The giants Porphyrion, Polybotes, Alcyoneus, Enceladus, Ephialtes, Otis, Clytius, Orion, Hippolytus, Mimas, Thoon, and Periboia, all in their powered-up forms, courtesy of the Earth Mother, were corralled in a ring. A ring made up of snarling, growling, sneering beasts that were exuding a combined, ungodly aura of malice, rage, hunger, and primal power. All of which surpassed the combined might of all the giants.

"Move over will you!" a childish voice suddenly proclaimed from somewhere in the mass of monsters. A few of the beasts stepped aside, and a young boy-girl came bursting through, wearing pants and a vest that were many sizes too big. However, the feeling of the boy-girl threw many of the giants for a loop.

" **Perseus!?"** Polybotes roared in outrage and shock. **"What is the meaning of this outrage!? Why do you come before us as a child!?"**

"To kill all of you sillies, duh!"

" **You insolent, little-!"**

"Now, now," Teresa said as she strolled out from behind one monster's leg, "let's be grownups and not resort to name-calling…you ugly motherfucker." The Faint Smile drew her claymore, the scraping of metal exceedingly loud. "As I understand it, most of you here have tried to kill my little brother. While I'm sure that none of you were remotely considered a threat, I still don't take kindly to those that threaten my family."

In the crimson haze created by the monumental amount of Yoki altering the ambient light waves, Teresa's gold-and-slit-pupiled eyes appeared to be a burning red. "There will be no survivors," the Faint Smile whispered with an air of finality. Percy giggled sharply, and yanked the pendant around his neck, causing his own claymore to spring into existence.

"Ready, Sis?"

"Undoubtedly."

"I'll take the ones on the left, you take the ones on the right."

Teresa readied her blade. Percy hefted his onto his shoulder—the claymore was bigger than he was. The Awakened Beings, seeing as this was no longer their fight, all dispersed into nothingness, and suddenly reappeared in front of the half-bloods and assorted friends, making them _all_ stumble and fall to their collective asses. The massive beasts began to glow as their Yoki shrouded them, and they all reverted to their human forms…they were all naked.

Because the heavy Yoki had been reigned in, the sky and landscape returned to its normal color, and, because there was no longer a massive wall of monsters, the good guys could now all see the true amount of carnage brought forth by the Awakened Army…and the new forms of the giants. Suffice to say, many people screamed and/or fainted.

"W-What the Hades…are you people?" Clarisse stuttered. Nico and Hazel were too stunned by what they were seeing to be offended by their father's name being used as a curse word. They were in the same boat as Clarisse and everyone else, Annabeth and Clare being the sole exceptions.

Isley, who had been standing nearby, answered, "We are Awakened Beings. Men and women who were given great power at an early age, only to reach the limits of that power, and evolved into the forms you just witnessed. As you can see, we are quite powerful.

"Who are _you_?" Clarisse asked.

"I am Isley, the Silver King of the North, general of the Northern Regiment, and second-in-command of the Awakened Army, the army you see before you."

"How do you know Percy?"

Isley cocked a brow. He didn't recall this girl ever knowing the Leviathan, nor did he have any awareness of her knowing of the Leviathan's shortened name. "Perseus and I have known each other for over a hundred years now. How do _you_ know him, my dear?"

That was going to be a long conversation.

Meanwhile back on the other side of the battlefield, the two most powerful entities that ever came out of the _Claymore_ universe were calmly walking towards the giants. The Banes themselves were beaten, bruised, battered, fatigued, huffing, and puffing. Their battle with the Awakened Beings had been one-sided and brutal.

The only reason none of them were dead was because Awakened Beings didn't classify as either god or demigod, but the reason they were all so beat-up was because almost all their energy had been spent in the regenerating of injuries and missing limbs. However, it seemed Mommy was looking out for her babies today.

Gaea's voice rolled over Long Island Sound, scaring most, and confusing others. _This has gone on long enough. It ends now, Perseus. You and your compatriots will fall, and the Olympians will be dethroned. Then I shall guide the planet down its rightful path to a world free of the poison that is humanity._

The ground rumbled, and then split open beneath the giants, swallowing them all up. The new fissure in the earth erupted with bright light, like that of the sun, and overwhelming power settled over the Eastern Seaboard. The power was great enough to make even the Abyssal Ones gain a serious face.

Percy and Teresa were both displaying their namesakes. They weren't threatened at all.

From out of the glowing and howling crevice, a large, stone arm shot out, and slammed down upon the blood-soaked earth. Although, _stone_ wasn't the right description. More like smooth, black pieces of rock held together by veins of lava. Then up came the rest of Gaea.

The Earth Goddess leapt from the crevice, taking it glow with her. She landed hard, cracking the ground. Gaea took the form of a twelve-foot-tall female humanoid. Her body was slim and curved, her breasts appropriately sized, and her skin was smooth rocks floating on top of flowing magma. Her eyes were magma, her nostrils glowed with magma, her mouth was filled with magma, and her hair was just like the rest of her body, only shaped to look like hair.

The funny thing was, Gaea had Yoki. Percy could sense it, Teresa could sense it, Isley could sense it, Riful could sense it, Luciela could sense it, the Lieutenants could sense it, every member of the Army could sense it, Hell, even the non-Yoki entuned could feel that something was very off about Mother Nature. There was a _lot_ of Yoki, too.

"Hey, Big Sis? Can you go protect Clare and Annabeth and the rest of the guys, please?"

"Annabeth is the blonde girl, yes?"

"Yep."

"I can sense three very faint Yoki auras within her womb. You impregnated her."

"Yes, I did."

"After you are finished here, I expect to be properly introduced to the mother of my nieces and nephews." Teresa faded from view like a mirage.

 _You are foolish, Perseus. The entire planet is my domain. There is nowhere you can hide, and nowhere is safe from me._

"Shut up already, dammit. I have better things to do than play with you."

Then, Percy assumed his Awakened form. His body was shrouded in his sea-green aura, his eyes becoming pools of energy. His skin turned black, his muscles and body bulging beyond what could be considered safe. He grew taller, wider, bigger, and more powerful with each passing picosecond. Skin on his shoulders, his scalp, his elbows and knees, his back, and along his waist bulged and stretched, before ripping wide open in showers of purple blood that sank into the earth.

Gaea had to _look up_ in order to meet the sea-green stare of the Leviathan. The Earth Goddess gauged her foe's power, and found it to eclipse hers by a _narrow_ margin.

 _It doesn't matter what form you take, Perseus. You are still no match for-_

BAM!

The Leviathan's fist snapped out faster than comprehension, nailing the shorter magma-lady square in the face, and struck with enough force to send the goddess skipping across the Sound, through field after field, and eventually all the way into Appalachian Mountain range itself. Leviathan's lips parted, showing the needle-like teeth that lined his jaw, teeth similar to those of an angler fish.

" **This will…not be a challenge. But I think I will enjoy myself nonetheless."**

The Leviathan seemingly faded away into oblivion, leaving behind a mass of very scared, very confused Greeks, Romans, Huntresses, Amazons, nature spirits, satyrs, and wolves. However, the shocks weren't over with yet, because the ground started shaking again, and several crevices opened, and an equal number of blurs came shooting out of them.

Landing hard upon the earth were the familiar Banes of Olympus, only they were all like their mother, and in their original, 40-foot-selves. The giants all seemed proud to look like lava demons, but the Army had their fun. It was time for the Creatures of the Abyss to come out and play.

Isley, Riful, and Luciela stepped out in front of the Army, their garments billowing. In the distance, the sounds of thunderous battle could be heard as Perseus and Gaea fought each other. The Abyssal's eyes glowed their respective aura colors, before the world erupted into blue, red, and yellow light, and the ground shook even worse than it had before.

The lights faded, and what was revealed made many faint, or piss themselves. The power in the air was suffocating, the light of the earth was bent and twisted into a dark shade of red mixed with a dark shade of orange and yellow, on top of the dark shade of green created by the aura of Perseus. Where Luciela once stood was a yellow-eyed quadruped demon-cat with twin jaws, and two tails the size of red oak trees. Where Riful once stood was a red-eyed humanoid girl whose entire body was constructed of thousands of interweaving, black tendrils. Where Isley once stood was the biggest monster of all: an icy blue-eyed centaurion creature covered in sleek black armor with bladed wings sprouting from his shoulder blades. Chiron fainted.

Each Creature was easily 50 feet in height, towering over the tallest giant by an easy estimate of at least ten feet, and the power each one exuded was nothing short of _godly_. Lupa, a goddess herself, one who had met each of the Olympians on one occasion or another, could say with the utmost terrified confidence that any one of these creatures before her could've gone head-to-head with a fully-powered Titan, and the victor would've been anyone's guess.

Even Teresa of the Faint Smile found herself vastly outclassed by the combined might of the three Creatures of the Abyss, but her smile graced her lips, and she strolled forward, calmly walking past the massive hooves of Isley, cape billowing behind her.

"I've been dragged into a strange world after my brother mysteriously disappears, and presented with the opportunity to fight reasonably powerful creatures. I'm going to get at least a modicum of enjoyment out of this experience."

Teresa drew her claymore, and then she and the Abyssals were in front of the lava giants in an instant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **[Hail to the King-Avenged Sevenfold]**

Gaea steadily rose to her feet, her body repairing itself after all the damage she had just taken on her impromptu flight from Long Island to the Appalachian Mountain. That punch had heart, and it had hurt a lot. The reprieve was short, because the leviathan materialized in front of the Earth Goddess about five seconds after she slammed into a random mountain.

Gaea struck first, lashing out with a fist. The Leviathan dodged, but the heat of the lava was disturbingly close to his face. His claw shot up, tearing straight through the offending limb with ease, and he punched at Gaea. The goddess dodged, and her other arm snapped up, severing the Leviathan's.

The monster roared, not in pain or anger, but in elation, and his twelve tentacles shot out from his back, each one crushing Gaea and piercing her body. The lava she was made of burned the intruding flesh, and the Leviathan whipped his tentacles back, and slung the Earth Goddess miles away. The speed of her flight generated enough g-force to make her fold, unable to move properly.

The Leviathan grinned, and a new arm shot out from his stump, good as new. Then Gaea was suddenly in front of him, her arm also repaired, and the Leviathan suddenly couldn't move, and he knew why. Just like in Tartarus, the dark god had divine authority over all in his pit, nullifying all damage, on the surface of the earth, Gaea had the same advantage.

With that realization, the Leviathan lost all interest in this fight, and realized that the only way to end this was with sheer, awesome power. Retreating within himself, he found what he was looking for. Three orbs, each one so much bigger than the one before it. The biggest orb, pure energy; the middle orb, sea-green and writhing; the smallest orb, golden and had images flitting across its surface.

Yoki, hydrokinesis, and chronokinesis. The three powers of the Leviathan.

During his fight with Tartarus, the Leviathan had merged his Yoki and chronokinesis, and achieved new levels of power, and was able to tear himself and the dark god away from the pit by entering a new timeline where things had been…wonky. This merging had the physical effect of turning the tiny gaps in his armor, as well as his eyes and spiked tips, golden. However, right now, the Leviathan wasn't trying to merge _just_ his Yoki and chronokinesis…he was merging all three orbs.

 _Hail to the King!_

Gaea was thrown away by the outburst of white energy.

 _Hail to the One!_

The white pillar of energy created a shockwave that completely atomized the surrounding three miles of landscape, erasing mountains, valleys, and hills.

 _Kneel to the Crown!_

The Leviathan roared as power beyond what any _primordial_ could hope to achieve flowed errantly threw him.

 _Stand in the Sun!_

Just like before, when his body turned black and gold, his body was now black with white glowing out from underneath his armor, shining through the niches. His eyes, claws, head-spine tips, elbow and knee spike tips, waste-spine tips, waste-webbing, back-spike tips, and shoulder-spike tips all glowed brightly with white energy.

 _Hail to the King!_

The shaking of the earth hadn't even stopped before the Leviathan's hand was covering Gaea's face, his power completely outstripping hers, and then he blasted off, pure physical strength carrying them up into the atmosphere, cracking the ground with the force.

The spikes on the Leviathan's back shot out, and hundreds of smaller branches shot between the long spines, forming wings of a patchwork filled in with white energy. With a mighty flap, the two deities surged beyond Earth's gravitational pull, obliterated a satellite, and kept going, speeding through the depths of space at over mach10. And _accelerating_.

They were at the moon less than ten seconds after the satellite was destroyed, and the Leviathan threw Gaea at the surface. The goddess collided mightily with the surface, and her momentum was so great that she not only tore a trench across the silvery surface, but she shot straight off the curvature, and would've kept going indefinitely had the Leviathan not intercepted her mid-flight.

This far away from the Earth, Gaea was weakened, but not powerless. Her power was divine and did not stem just from the planet. 'Earth' could be found across the cosmos, and Gaea knew how to draw power from those minute sources, lightyears away. Beyond that, she also had this new power, Yoki, under her control. In the hands of a true goddess, the amount of Yoki Gaea had was staggering. So, no, Gaea was not powerless. She still had strength in spades, and knew how to get more.

Didn't matter though. The Leviathan was redefining the term 'over powered.'

The two deities were at the planet Mars less than fifteen seconds after Gaea defaced the moon. The atmosphere offered little in terms to the protection of the Red Planet's surface, and the lack of breathable air meant nothing to either the Leviathan or the Earth Goddess. One had purple blood for a reason, and the other was divine.

The Leviathan began punching the goddess across the planet, striking her with shockwave-inducing force that left craters upon the ground, and went streaking after her with enough force to tear a trench through surface. The Leviathan punched Gaea, and then was right to her, punching her again. For _miles_ did the goddess get slammed.

The two went soaring across the planet fast enough to where night and day began to blur together. Fast enough to where their kinetic energy kicked up a massive cloud of dust that followed them across the planet. Fast enough to where the force of their movement began to affect the very rotation of Mars itself. Looking at the surface from space, you would see a massive distortion across the middle of the planet, a white streak that was almost continuous, and a spin that was progressively getting faster.

Gaea didn't have much of a head left after the Leviathan grabbed her, halting their momentum just like that. A flap of his wings, and they were blazing all the way back into space. The former Claymore was holding Gaea from behind, his claws digging into the body around the goddess' breasts, but he wasn't being sensual.

" **Do you know what your greatest fault in this battle was, Goddess of the Earth?"** Gaea was divine, so even in the vacuum of space, she could easily hear the whispery words spoken directly into her ear. **"Your greatest was fault was using my blood to make** _ **Yoki**_ **…** _ **my**_ **Yoki. I'll be taking it back now."**

Gaea's scream was entirely silent in the void. The Leviathan was merciless in using his absorption ability to suck the Yoki out of the Earth Goddess. In seconds, Gaea's reserves, reserves almost on par with Priscilla's, were _gone_. Zero. Empty. Nothing left in the tank. Not even fumes. No more Yoki, but Gaea wasn't dead, just severely weakened. The magma that once flowed was now cooled and nonexistent. The rock body of the goddess was being held together through essence.

The two were just miles away from Earth now, so the Leviathan reared back, and slammed the rest of the goddess' face into oblivion, and sent her rocketing into the atmosphere in a blaze of glory. Only because she was divine did Gaea not burn into ash, but she did slam down upon Long Island Sound, just a few hundred feet away from her beaten children.

Everyone paused when Gaea came crashing down, and then they all dropped their jaws when the black and white Leviathan came shooting from the heavens, wreathed in flames…only he came down right on top of the barely-standing giants, killing each and every single one of them, scattering their remains into atoms.

 _There's a taste of fear…_

Upon recognizing the presence of their leader, and the power he now wielded, the Abyssals returned to their human states, and all them plus Teresa blurred back to the Army, who started chanting and pumping their fists.

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

 _When the henchman calls…_

Gaea, so terribly weakened by the sudden loss of all her Yoki, could not even find the strength to draw substantial power from her domain, just barely enough to regrow her head. Thudding footsteps made her look up from her deep crater, only to see a black figure with muscles outlined in white.

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

 _I am fierce to tame them…_

The Leviathan just snarled down at the goddess, and picked her up by her crispy head. Dirt and ash crumbled from her body.

 _I am fierce to claim it ALLLL!_

 _Hail to the King!_

The Leviathan threw the goddess to his army, and the message was clear: eat up.

 _Hail to the One!_

The ninety men and women set upon the goddess instantly, tearing her apart piece by piece, and slinging chunks out behind them to those that couldn't get close enough to get their own bites. Gaea howled in pain, but she was ignored.

 _Kneel to the Crown!_

The Leviathan stalked to the half-bloods, his body shrinking and compacting back to his teenage form. When he got close, they just could not help it. Everyone, even the Huntresses and Amazons, everyone besides, Teresa, Clare, the Seven, and the generals, fell to their faces, bowing in reverence.

 _Stand in the Sun!_

Perseus watched this new development with a gleam. Good, very good. Even Nico, Thalia, Reyna, Octavian, and Lupa were on their faces.

 _HAIL TO THE KING!_

Perseus looked at his generals, feeling no arousal or embarrassment at the nude forms, and the feeling were reciprocated. The generals didn't fall to their knees and faces, but they bowed at the waist.

 _HAIL TO THE ONE!_

Perseus looked at Teresa and Clare. The girl was cheering and clapping, and the Claymore had pride shining in her silver eyes as she looked at her little brother.

 _KNEEL TO THE CROWN!_

Perseus looked at the Seven. All of them except for Annabeth had serious looks on their faces, even Leo, and they, like the generals, all bowed at the waist, even Jason.

 _STAND IN THE SUN!_

Perseus looked at his mate, his lover, and his future wife. He approached her, and she approached him. They embraced, and the Leviathan kissed her deeply. There was no tongue, no groping, just two lovers meeting.

 _HAIL TO THE KING!_

The Army finished devouring Gaea, and they turned their attention back to their leader. Seeing him kiss the woman that was obviously his mate, and seeing that he had defeated a being of great power, they began chanting and pumping their fists one final time.

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

" _HAIL!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **So how is that for a finale, bitches? Next chapter is the epilogue, and will tie everything together. I know I did not go into detail about the fight between Teresa, the Abyssals, and the giants, but if you want me too, I will cover that in the epilogue. I also know that the fight between Perseus and Gaea was short, but with all the power our golden boy has, I could not see it dragging on, especially with Gaea making the decision to infuse herself with Yoki gathered from the blood of Perseus.**_

 _ **How did you like the music? Perseus' final form? The feeding of Gaea to the Awakened Army? What do you predict for the future? What was your opinion of**_ _ **Rogue One: A Star Wars Story**_ _ **, because I thought it was better than**_ _ **The Force Awakens**_ _ **?**_

 _ **Feel free to give a penny for your thoughts.**_

 _ **Fav, Follow, Review!**_


	30. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

 _ **Well guys, this is it. The final chapter; the epilogue. There will be no**_ _ **Trials of Apollo**_ _ **, and no**_ _ **Magnus Chase**_ _ **. We're going right back to the Claymore-verse, and watch the Awakened Army crush a bunch of big-fore headed blondes and eat what's left. And a wedding...and the miracle of birth...and the setup of a possible sequel. Anyway. I didn't see many reviews saying that people wanted to see Teresa and the Abyssals thrash the giants, so that won't happen. Just know that it was epic.**_

 _ **Anyone else think it's cool that my third story is ending on 30 chapters?**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own PJO or Claymore

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annabeth wanted to have a wedding. Perseus wanted to haul ass back to the Claymore-verse and sack the Organization's HQ. So they compromised, and had a wedding. Invitations were sent out to what mortal family existed, and Perseus had to go and see his mother...which he hadn't really been keen on doing. Luckily, Teresa, Clare and the Army had the collective decency to let Perseus do that alone.

The abridged version of that meeting was tight hugs, teary eyes, long explanations and stories, and one very proud (and strangely accepting/supporting) Sally Jackson. However, the meeting between Perseus and Frederick Chase, Annabeth's father, was not so smooth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you're the one that knocked my daughter up...and are marrying her," Freddy said, clearly trying to pull the 'intimidating father' card. His failed.

"Yes, sir," Perseus said shortly. Why wasn't Annabeth here for this?

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen." More like 130; the Leviathan had counted.

Freddy's brow twitched. "What kind of job do you have?"

"I don't have one, sir."

Freddy's mouth set into a thin line. "Seventeen, no job, and already have my baby girl pregnant...do you plan on getting a job?"

"No, sir."

Freddy stared at Perseus, disapproval and contempt clear in his eyes. "I'm not giving you permission to marry my daughter. Get out of my house, and don't come near my daughter ever again."

Perseus broke out into a wide grin. "And there goes my tolerance for cordiality. Please come with me." The most powerful being on the planet rose from the table, and exited the Chase household. Freddy glowered, but followed nonetheless. Sitting in the driveway of the Chases' house, was a Ram Super Duty Dually. Beautiful piece of machinery to some, a hideous abomination to others.

"This is your truck, yes?"

"Mm-hm."

"I see."

Perseus grabbed the several-ton vehicle by the side step, and promptly launched it into the air with a single arm. The truck glistened as it disappeared into the wild blue yonder. Mr. Chase's jaw fell off his face and his entire body went numb. Perseus patted the man on the shoulder.

"Wedding's in three days. Long Island Sound. Delphi Strawberry Farm...good talk, Freddy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Three days later_

The wedding was held at the beach, and Poseidon and Zeus made it so that the day was beautiful and calm. The overhead sun was warm, the waves were still, the wind was silent, and there were more attendees to the event than what should've been allowed.

 _All_ of Camp Half-Blood was there, including demigods, satyrs, nymphs, nature spirits and Chiron. _All_ of New Rome was there, to honor the wedding of their former Emperor (Perseus promised to relive power after the war; war was over), including the legion, the wolf pack, and the citizens. There were more gods and goddesses than what Perseus thought possible (seriously, like, all of Olympus was here). And, finally, the Awakened Army was there...and they were dressed nicely.

Perseus was dressed in a royal purple tuxedo, with an orange bowtie, and an orange button-down. He looked ridiculous, and he felt ridiculous, but he was wearing this monkey suit to symbolize his connection to both Rome and Greece. His best man was Grover, for sentimental reasons, and his groomsmen were Tyson, Isley, and Rigaldo. The cyclops was crying, while the Awakened Beings looked uncomfortable and out of place. Especially in their modern-day suits. The bridesmaids were Piper, Rachel, and Clarisse. Chiron, in horse-form (the Silver King was unimpressed), was going to be marrying Perseus and Annabeth.

Music started playing from somewhere, and everyone stood to their feet. Clare, in a dress that she had absolutely fallen in love with, came walking down the aisle. The flower girl. A bit big, maybe, but no one was stupid enough to argue with the groom, especially when the bride highly approved.

Clare completed her walk, and stepped off to the side, clearing the lane for whom this whole occasion had been dedicated to.

Aphrodite and Piper had gotten ahold of Annabeth before the wedding, and had made her _beautiful_. A pure white chiton, but it had been fitted more tightly than in ancient times. Golden bands on her biceps, and arm looped in that of her father's. Hair had been neatly styled, and makeup put on to perfection. Not a mask, but enough to bring out every highlight of Annabeth's face. She wore no veil, but this wedding was as traditional as it wasn't.

Athena had tears in her eyes. Sally had tears in her eyes. Poseidon had tears in his eyes. Frederick was…hyped up on Mist. Teresa was just smiling, her silver eyes gleaming with pride.

Mr. Chase led his daughter down the aisle, and up the steps, where he let go of Annabeth, and took his place next to Chiron. Even with her perfect makeup, you could tell Annabeth was blushing deeply, but she was clearly happy. Perseus smiled warmly at his bride, his eyes practically radiating joy and seriousness. His messy black-and-white hair had been pulled back and parted in the same way Ezio Auditore's had been.

"You are beautiful."

Annabeth smiled, showing off perfectly straight, white teeth. "And you are handsome."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Chiron announced proudly.

Perseus and Annabeth did just that. The attendees stood, clapping, whistling, hooting, and hollering, but to the lovers…the world faded into the background. There was no time, no sound, no temperature, no people. Just them, embracing, kissing, finally consummating their love for each other in the second most sacred form in history.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Sally asked one more time, teary-eyed and borderline distraught.

Perseus sighed heavily. _This_ was what he had wanted to avoid; a crying woman that he hadn't seen in over a hundred years crying over his departure back to his _home_. He felt slightly conflicted; should he console his mother, or completely end this and leave, erasing her existence from his mind forever. Besides, Perseus was going to outlive his mother, easily. In fact, he already had.

He was well over a hundred years old. This woman wasn't in her forties yet.

And was pregnant with Paul Blowfish's baby.

Perseus hugged his mother tightly, rubbing small circles across her back. Sally sobbed, freely crying into her son's iron hard chest. When she had calmed back down, the Leviathan gently pushed her away.

"Yes, I have to leave. This world...isn't good for me anymore. My lifestyle, my army...we can't live here, not peacefully. Mother," Perseus hesitated, trying (and failing) to come up with a way to let her down easy. Fuck it.

The Leviathan kissed Sally on the cheek, hugged her, "Love you, Mom. I'll visit sometime in the future; show you the grandkids," and _bolted_.

Sally was silent for a very long time as she processed what the Hades just happened. Then…

"I"M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus sighed in contentment as he collapsed to the bed, his wife lying next to him. They were _finally_ back to the Claymore-verse, and the war was due to start in two weeks to the date. The sendoff from the mythological world was short, sweet, simple, and painless. Now it was time to relax, enjoy being married, and-and figure out what Clare wanted.

The girl rapped lightly against the door, to Perseus and Annabeth's bedroom, and the two watched Clare as she slowly opened the door. "Ah, Percy? Can I-can I talk to you? If you're not busy, I mean."

The two lovers looked at each other, before Annabeth nodded in the affirmative. Perseus kissed his wife, before rolling out of bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Clare blushed faintly, but the Leviathan did not care. He just found it amusing.

The two left the bedroom, and exited the entire house. It was night, the wind wasn't blowing, and the full moon shined beautifully above in the cloudless sky. Annabeth and Percy's house was situated on a hill that overlooked a stream that flowed slowly, and a large, green forest that provided a lovely scene.

"What's up, friend?"

Clare fidgeted. "You remember...before you left...how I wanted to...you know...be like Teresa...and you-"

"Oh! Yeah, I remember. I'm fine if Big Sis is fine with it."

"What am I fine with?" The Faint Smile suddenly blurred into existence beside Perseus.

"Clare becoming a Claymore and eventually an Awakened Being."

"Oh." Teresa blinked, then focused her gaze on Clare, studying the girl intently. The human child held the silver gaze, refusing to back down under the scrutinization. Other than begging, Clare didn't know any other way to get her point across that she _wanted_ to be a Claymore. Finally, Teresa sighed. "If this is what you really want, then so be it."

Clare cheered, and hugged her mother-figure with all the strength her little body could generate. Teresa gently hugged the child back, but she caught the eye of Perseus. He wanted to say something. "Do it tomorrow?"

Teresa nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Two weeks later_

The Organization was on pin and needles. This was the day that Perseus had promised he would attack with his army of Awakened Beings. Every warrior had been recalled, trained, armed, and given something _special_ in order to give them a boost in power. Courtesy of Dae, of course. The Organization had brought in extra muscle from elsewhere, and used some rather unnatural means to bolster their forces. Also courtesy of Dae. In short, despite the anxiousness of the situation, the Men in Black still had a reasonable amount of confidence in their own army.

However, what none of the Organization could've predicted, was for an ocean of violent and malevolent Yoki to slam into their headquarters with enough force to crack the walls and make dust rain down. The response was quick; how could it not? This was what everyone had been preparing for the past month.

Warriors scrambled to put on armor and race to the frontlines, seeing as this was an attack that caught them all off guard and flat-footed. One poor warrior had been right in the middle of pulling her pants down to relieve herself…she relieved herself alright. The Men in Black were busy shouting orders and directions to notice much else. Eventually, all 47 warriors stood assembled to defend the Organization from attack. At the forefront of the white-and-silver pack was Irene, Sophia, Noel, and some new girl called Galatea.

What the warriors saw made many soil themselves in fear.

An approaching army of Awakened Beings, an army twice the size of the Claymore's. It was a roiling mass of muscle and monsters, and each one was projecting an aura on par with any of the single-digits. Leading the army of demons were several people on horseback.

On the far left was a girl in a pink sundress riding a brown horse. On the far right was a woman in a red dress, also riding a brown horse. Next to that woman, on her left, was a man in blue cloak, riding a white horse. On the girl's right was a woman wearing Claymore gear, also on a white horse, with what looked like a young Claymore sitting in her lap. In the middle of the formation of horses was a young man with bicolored hair and eyes, accompanied by a young woman whose hair and eyes were slightly different than a Claymore's. These two rode a pure black stallion…with wings.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _You're definitely different, Boss, but I like the new you, and your wife is a total hottie!_

' _Thank you, Blackjack. Now, business.'_

 _No problem Boss!_

Perseus allowed a smirk to pull at his lips. His Pegasus was such a loyal creature. Just like every member of his army. Turning his full attention to the matter at hand though, the Abyssal Lord's silently asked his big sister, "And you're alright with Irene, Noel, and Sophia dying?"

"Yes."

"Alrighty then." Perseus then gave his short, sweet, and highly motivational speech. "Ladies and gentlemen…in the name of the Leviathan…ERADICATE ALL LIFE, DOWN TO THE LAST RAT AND INSECT!"

The army roared at such a volume that many of the warriors' eardrums ruptured. The Awakened Beings surged forward in a blurring wave of speed that should've been impossible for creatures that big, but there were many factors that contributed to the speed. One, decades of training under the Abyssal Ones and their Lord, and two, eating the divine flesh of Gaea came with some beneficial effects.

Now, Irene, Sophia, and Noel all fully expected to be spared during this battle, seeing as how they were connected to Teresa, and Teresa was connected to the most powerful being on the planet, so they launched themselves at the approaching army with less than what would consider 'maximum effort.'

Irene's Quicksword was intercepted by Rigaldo's hand, and her head was torn off.

Noel and Sophia were split in half by Rafaela's thin, whip-like tail.

Galatea and the Number 5 attacked Dauf…their blades literally shattered against the Lieutenant's diamond-hard skin, and they were crushed into bloody paste by the Awakened Being's massive hands.

After that, there was nothing worth mentioning. Perseus had trained his army to annihilate. He had trained them in every aspect of Yoki that he knew of: strength, speed, sensory, durability, invulnerability, regeneration, manipulation and elongation. He had trained his army to _crush_ the Claymores, and crush them did the Awakened Army.

The hapless warriors stood no chance against the tide. The sheer, overwhelming vastness of the numbers, and the ungodly physical superiority of the Awakened Beings was nothing short of unfair. Warriors died left and right, being clawed, mauled, crushed, and/or eaten. Within _seconds_ did the Army devour every scrap of Claymore flesh. And not a single Yoma was killed.

 _That_ was how powerful the Awakened Army was.

Of course, the Organization had brought in their entire haul of artificially created Awakened Beings, along with a more than a few genetic and twisted experiments. Of course, every member of the had had multiple decades of practice in improving their Yoki sensing, and was therefore aware of Wave 2, as it were.

The hidden gates the Organization had built into their hilltop fortress opened, and a small army of freaks and monsters poured out. The Awakened Army held strong, but in Wave 2, they found themselves being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Seeing this, the Creatures of the Abyss took the stage in all their monstrous glory. Wave 2 was dealt with seconds later.

Now, the Organization had no one, aside from trainees, and they were less than a threat. They didn't even qualify as dirt in the eyes of any Awakened Being.

Annabeth kissed her husband on the cheek, "Please make it fast, Percy. For me?"

Perseus turned his head to claim his wife's lips. "Don't worry. This will all be over soon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Perseus found the leaders of the Organization all gathered in their central meeting chamber. Points for having the balls to die with a shred of honor. The Abyssal Lord had his most charismatic soldiers sweeping through the halls of Staff, offering the trainees a simple choice: join or die. Since the trainees were all girls between the ages of six and sixteen, all which had been beaten and abused by Dae and various others, most joined the Army. There were a few that said no for whatever reason, and they were swiftly beheaded.

Quick and painless.

Perseus' bicolored gaze slowly swept the room. Despite being old men, each member of the Organization met and held his gaze, but it was not in confidence of some last-minute, deus ex machina plan that would make the Leviathan submit to them. No, the held the dual-colored gaze because they knew they were beaten, and they were all proud enough to go out without whimpering and begging for their lives.

Everyone remained silent, even Dae, but when the Abyssal Lord locked eyes with Rimuto, the old man spoke. "Long ago, Dae said you had potential, Perseus. I can see that you've realized that potential, and soared beyond it." The old man sighed, "We should've killed you long ago."

The Wide Smile's eyes just gleamed as his moniker stretched his face.

The walls of the meeting chamber were soon painted red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What happens now?" Luciela asked. "We've destroyed the Organization, we can easily establish out rule over this continent, and the Yoma don't even qualify as a threat."

Instead of Perseus responding, it was Isley. "Can you not sense it, Luciela? Across the ocean, to the North, are several large Yoki signatures. _That_ is our next target."

Perseus hummed in the affirmative. He stood on top of the Organization's HQ, overlooking the continent. He held Annabeth close to him, his wife remaining silent, simply enjoying the presence of her husband. To the Abyssal Lord's left were Teresa and Clare, with the girl now sporting straw-blonde hair and silver eyes. To the Lord's right were his generals.

"This is the beginning of an empire," Perseus said. "This continent is merely the staging area. There are lands beyond this one, lands occupied by beasts and monsters that could give our army a worthy challenge. Eventually, we will conquer these lands, but not now, and not anytime soon, either."

"Then what's the current plan?" Riful asked.

"The current plan…" Perseus mused. The setting sun cast a beautiful orange and pink glow over the world, and shined directly on the Leviathan and his friend's/family's faces. "The current plan is simple, actually."

"Oh? Then what is it?" Teresa asked.

Perseus smiled, and pulled Annabeth into a deep kiss. They eventually separated, and the daughter of Athena grinned warmly, "I love you so much, Mr. Jackson."

"And I love you too, Mrs. Jackson." Perseus turned his attention back to Riful.

"The plan is to enjoy life."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Sorry it took so long to finish this. I just binged**_ _ **The Hammer of Thor**_ _ **, and am looking forward to the next book.**_

 _ **Well, it's over people. The epilogue is now officially complete, and so is this story. I would like to thank everyone that's stuck with it over the months, and I would like to offer a special thanks to those that have been there since**_ _ **Backup Plan**_ _ **. It's been a fantastic ride, and I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**_

 _ **Will there be a sequel? Oh, most likely. There's still so much I can write about, but it would all be crossover stuff. The world of Claymore isn't exactly clear on what's going on around the world, and that provides for a degree of freedom. Besides, Daddy!Percy and Mommy!Annabeth dealing with triplets is just too much fun to pass up!**_

 _ **One more time guys…Fav, Follow, and Review!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Atlanta, Georgia_

The old sea god, Phorcys, was pouting in his aquarium. His sister was dead, the giants were dead, his mother was…indisposed, and the one responsible had just up and vanished with Athena's whore of a daughter, and some freak army. Phorcys sighed to himself once more, and drained the entire bottle of 3,500-year-old wine in a single swig.

Ugh, he needed to have some sex.

…

Phorcys laid the mortal money down on the counter of the human sex store he was visiting. The Jamaican man behind the counter took the cash, and set down a set of keys and some tokens.

"Door numbuh tree. Enjoy, mahn," he said in a heavy accent.

Phorcys grabbed the items, and entered the show room area. He opened Door Number 3, and shut it behind him. Dimly lit room, with a chair in front of a glass window that had a heavy curtain blocking his view of what was behind it. Phorcys sat down in the chair, grinning perversely and rubbing his hands together in anticipation. So what if this was just a strip show? A little Mist went a long way, after all.

The curtain and lifted, and all of Phorcys' excitement drained away at not seeing a sexy girl. Instead, he felt the cold presence of the Void.

"Oh, you didn't think I forgot about you, did you?" Perseus asked.

He yanked on the pendant around his neck, drawing his claymore, and thrust it through the glass in one fluid motion. Phorcys screamed when the blade split his skull in half.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	31. YLC Lexington

_YLC Lexington_

 _ **I'm back from my conference guys! Woke up at 3:30 on Sunday morning and got home at 10:21 Thursday night. Spent over seven hours on the bus. In the event that this fic is up for years and years to come, I want it to be known that the Conference lasted from June 11-15 of the year 2017.**_

 _ **I know that after a week of no updates, a long Author's Note is not what anyone wants, but this conference…I feel that it needs to be talked about.**_

 _ **During the conference, we got to listen to a POW who spent six years of his life in the 'Hanoi Hilton,' an economist with a PhD, a judge, another judge, this one having escaped communist Russia and is Jewish, a retired Marine Captain, several members of the Coast Guard, and a retired general from the United States Army.**_

 _ **Now, bear with me as I fail to get my thoughts in any semblance of an order.**_

 _ **The POW told us about how he was tortured for information, kept in a cell with no light or air circulation, and about how he and his fellow prisoners developed a communication system of tapping, but wasn't Morse code. Obviously, he made it out alive, and after his presentation, we got the opportunity to ask questions. I asked him two: what do you think is wrong with the government, and what do you think of President Trump.**_

 _ **The first one got a laugh because the XO of the conference, the second in command, said we only have a few minutes not a few hours, bit anyway. The POW didn't give a straight answer on the government question, but this is what he said about Trump:**_

"I like him. He's doing what he can to change this country for the better, and no one likes him because he's trying to change things. That's why the media does nothing but criticize him and paint him in a bad light. Even though this is a country of free speech and opinion, everyone seems to have forgotten about respect. You may not like Trump, but he's still our president. If Hillary had won, I wouldn't have liked her one fucking bit, but I still would have given her the respect the president deserves."

 _ **I interviewed him in private for that and took notes.**_

 _ **The economist was a great guy, I liked him. He had us do an activity regarding a reservation wage and entrepreneurs looking to hire people. The majority of the class was looking to be hired, with a few people doing the hiring. Now, the problem was that the entrepreneurs were only looking to hire for a certain amount, and those with reservation wages that were too high didn't get hired. I had a reservation wage of $12.50, and couldn't hired for shit, no matter what sob story I came up with.**_

 _ **Starving family, war veteran, sick parents, anything. These bastards just wouldn't hire me on for at least $13 bucks an hour.**_

 _ **This exercise was meant to teach us about negotiation and the power of profit. See, the more the entrepreneur had to pay us, the less money was in their own bank account after payday, so of course they would only hire the cheapest of labor. This was also an exercise used to reflect the real world.**_

 _ **I asked myself: are these entrepreneurs just greedy bastards then, looking to line their pockets, or were they simply men and women like the rest of us trying to do the best they could for their families and themselves in a world of cruel competition?**_

 _ **Moving on, I asked the economist a single question: do monopolies exist today.**_

 _ **He said yes.**_

 _ **Now, when one thinks monopoly, the game is the first thing to come up, but for those that know of the Gilded Age of America, you guys know that monopolies are like Standard Oil, Trusts, and the Northern Security Rail Company. Those kinds of monopolies are the kinds that drained competition, and made themselves the only ones to buy from.**_

 _ **It would be like Walmart if they put Target, Brookshire's, and Kroger out of business and left only themselves as America's grocery store.**_

 _ **The economist told us that monopolies exist today in that the monopolies are controlled by the government. He said that corporation would go and lobby the government to pass certain regulations. These regulations wouldn't destroy competition, but it would limit what other competition could do. In this instance, the corporation in question now has less competition to fight, and more opportunity to make money.**_

 _ **Since it's the government that passed these regulations, it's the government that controls the monopolies.**_

 _ **The first judge that came presided over a mock trial regarding the sinking of the Titanic and a suing, grieving wife. I think it was a real trial at one point, but I don't recall; the trial was handled in a way that left half the class asleep and bored.**_

 _ **While I forget the trial itself, I do not forget what I thought of this trial. The people that made the Titanic claimed it was unsinkable, yet it sank, many people fucking died, and they were sued for it. My cynical nature revealed to me what I found to be a dark truth: these companies know they fucked up, they know that they went wrong and cost people their lives, destroying families, and instead of owning up to this, they do everything they can to keep every single penny they have in their pockets.**_

 _ **I like to think of those people as greedy scum, but I suppose the counter argument to that would be that the companies need their money too, so they can pay their workers and provide for their own families. To quote Cutler Beckett:**_

"It's nothing personal, Jack. It's just good business."

 _ **The cruel world of corporation.**_

 _ **The second judge to come in didn't preside over any trials, but she gave us a bountiful wealth of information. She came from communist Russia when she was thirteen, travelling across Europe before finally making it to the USA. I forget what she said about her childhood, because it was what she had seen as a judge that caught my attention.**_

 _ **When she ran for her current position, of which I forget, she had a single opponent. She didn't give his name, but she said that this man used intimidation to keep other potential judges out of the game. This man intimidated her as well, saying that if she ran for judge, he would ensure she would practice law ever again. That convinced the second judge to run even harder, campaign stronger.**_

 _ **She won, of course, but the message I got from this was corruption. This man, this intimidating judge, used his reputation and reach to make sure he was always at the top. I wondered that if he did this, how many others did the same in our country?**_

 _ **The second story the judge told us was of her time as a juvenile court judge. She told us of her most 'interesting' case. There was a boy, thirteen, who was in court for curfew violation. The judge asked him why, and he said because it was rude to smoke around his momma. The judge felt a little relief in that, seeing a bit of light in the situation, and she told him that it wasn't good to smoke tobacco.**_

 _ **The kid freaked out and said:**_

"I wasn't smoking tobacco, I would never smoke that around my momma!"

 _ **We all got a little confused, but most of us quickly picked up what he was really smoking. The judge asked him this, and the kid said that he was smoking pot. As it turned out, his mother was a drug dealer…so yeah. The judge moved on from there and gave him his curfew time, and the kid asked if this applied to the weekends. The judge got confused and asked why that was relevant.**_

"My girlfriend's pregnant and I need to make sure she's okay."

 _ **Keep in mind that this kid is thirteen, smokes pot, his mother's a drug dealer, and said girlfriend is**_ _ **fourteen**_ _ **. Not a word was said anywhere in there about a father, and it went without saying that the everyone thought this kid was black.**_

 _ **I was able to pull aside a buddy I had made, and we talked about some stuff. I brought this up, and we both agreed that it was just fucked up in general, and it was fucked up how, just based on what was said about this kid, that everyone just knew he was black. It was a stereotype, my buddy said, an unfortunate one, but still. We talked about more things, and then we got to the System.**_

 _ **What is wrong with America to where a mother has to sell drugs to get by? What is wrong with America to where a thirteen year old smokes pot and is an expecting father? What is wrong with America to where seventy young men and women, upon hearing this story, all assumed the kid was black?**_

 _ **I told my buddy that when a System becomes so fucked up, so broken and corrupted like it is today, like a checker board in which neither party could see a move to make because of how muddled the board is, the only way to fix the System, to fix the board, is to wipe the board clean and start again.**_

 _ **Granted, we can't exactly just wipe out the American government and establish something new overnight, but still. Something needs to change.**_

 _ **Anyway, the judge said she kept up with the kid, and she told us that the birthing went off fine, he stayed in school, graduating high school with an education, stayed with his girlfriend, and now has a job to support all three of them. I'll think of that as the proof that not all hope for America is lost.**_

 _ **The Marine Captain that spoke to us was an older gentleman. Regrettably, I forget what he said, for at this point in the day, it being 4:30 in the afternoon and me waking up at 6:00 in the morning after hours of previous lessons and lectures, was irritated and fatigued. However, at the end of the conference, I spoke to him one on one and thanked him for his service after shaking his hand.**_

 _ **He looked me in the eye and said:**_

"I've been watching you. Out of everyone here, I think you're the only one that can make it in the Marines. If you ever think about joining, give me a call and I'll get everything in line."

 _ **I said thank you, sir, and I sat down at my table, pondering that. I personally have no intention of joining the military, much less the Marines (sorry to that one guy that reviewed thinking I was in the military; your salute is flattering, but sadly misplaced), but damn. This retired captain thought that I could do it, and offered his services to help make it happen…so yeah.**_

 _ **The Coast Guard members came in and talked about the stuff they did, their area of jurisdiction, the things they'd seen. I got to talking with one man, and he said that slavery today was higher than it was back when slavery was legal. Granted, the modern slave is a woman crammed into a shipping crate and not someone from Africa, but still.**_

 _ **I asked how he felt about that, and I saw his eyes dim. He said that in the beginning, it was horrible, terrible, disgusting, and it made him angry to know that it happened. But that was in the beginning, and he told me how it was in the present. He said it was nothing to him now, he said he was jaded to it.**_

 _ **He said it used to be like 'Oh my God! This is horrendous! This needs to stop now!' to 'Oh look, another human trafficking crate. Let's get this over with.'**_

 _ **I asked how he felt about Trump and America today, and he said that he stood with Trump, saying that the President was trying to push America back in the direction of God, trying to clean up the government. The Coast Guardsman said that, with the mess that Obama left to clean up, Trump was doing a good job. That's what he said, so please, for the love of God, do not start a political debate in the Reviews. Thank you.**_

 _ **Now, we get to the general, and this where things need a little more prior information.**_

 _ **When we got to the conference, we were all separated into different groups, and each group had their own jobs that needed to be attended to. My group was saddled with the responsibility of greeting and introducing all of the guest speakers and then saying a few words when their time was up. Well, after giving my groupmates their respective speakers, I ended up with introducing the general.**_

 _ **I got up to the podium and realized that my notes were not at all with me or within arm's reach. So there went Plan A. Plan B was to recite what I had from memory, and it would have gone great, if not for all the adrenaline suddenly coursing through me, which rendered me a stuttering mess. However, I persevered, and said aloud that I wasn't about to give up, because I'm an American.**_

 _ **I got applause for that one.**_

 _ **This is what I said:**_

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we welcome a true American hero. This man was drafted in the February of 67, and was deployed to Vietnam in the July of that same year. In the February of 69, he left the military and continued to serve our country from the National Guard. Duty would call again, and he would be directly commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, where he would go on to serve valiantly for over 30 years. It was in 2005 that he retired with the rank of Brigadier General. During his career, he was awarded with the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and numerous others. However, it is not only brawn that this man brings to our country, but brain as well. He is a graduate of the Army War College, and has an MBA from St. Edward's University. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and join me in the welcoming of our guest of honor, Brigadier General Jim Bisson!"

 _ **Only add more stuttering and broken speech.**_

 _ **What the general spoke about is lost to me, as I was far more preoccupied with how much I just bombed that introduction. However, I remember vividly that the general handed us all a lemon, or at least the people around us a lemon, and he told us to get to know that lemon before putting it in a box. Then a member of our group had to go find our lemon. It wasn't hard, there were several landmarks on the lemon, and the message was simple as it was cliché.**_

 _ **That was all the events of the conference, now on to the slightly more personal stuff.**_

 _ **I said that we were split into groups, and those groups were named after the planets. There was Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, and my group, Jupiter. Each group had about somewhere between nine and thirteen members in their group. At the end of the conference, we all exchanged numbers and we have a group chat going. It's an endeavor of ours to meet back up one day, although how that'll happen is beyond me. One of our members lives in fucking Oklahoma for God's sake.**_

 _ **Anyway.**_

 _ **This conference was a conference of leaders, meaning that all of us were privately interviewed during the school year, and were chosen to attend. On Wednesday, the groups had to pick amongst themselves who the group leaders were, and Jupiter Group chose me.**_

 _ **With six groups, there were six 'Leaders of Leaders,' as I liked to call ourselves. The XO, the general, and three of the councilors took the six of us to a private room elsewhere on the Lexington, and interviewed us all as a group. The question they asked and our answers are unimportant, because the point was that night, during the banquet, they did not pick me as Top Leader.**_

 _ **I got with the XO at a later time and asked what set the winner apart from the rest of us, and he said he wasn't at liberty to discuss the deliberation between himself and the others…most disappointing answer of all time, but anyway. I didn't let it bog me down, and I shook hands with the Top Leader, smiled, and wished him the best in life.**_

 _ **Wednesday night, they let us all stay up late, giving us till 12:30 to get in bed…not the best when you have to get up at 6:30 to pack your stuff. Anyway, with all this time given to us, we all got in little groups and toured the ship. And when I say 'toured the ship,' I mean we went past the little yellow chains that said Authorized Personnel Only.**_

 _ **Of course we didn't find government secrets or private meetings or anything out in left field such as that. All we really found was dust, dirt, darkness, and enough rust to give you Tetanus just by looking at it. In the first area we explored, we found an old ladder that led down into a void. Me, being the adventurous idiot I am, went down that ladder…and found nothing but emptiness, dirty water, and dead cockroaches.**_

 _ **Most places were like that actually, just old, untouched, and waiting to be attended to. Although, in one room, an old berthing area left to time, I opened a cabinet and found a set of keys. Nothing major, just two little padlock keys on a string. I took them for myself, my own little treasure from the bowels of the**_ **U.S.S. Lexington** _ **. I wonder if those keys were truly just forgotten trinkets, or if someone is desperately looking for them…oh well.**_

 _ **With two of my bunkmates, we explored the fine details of atheism and religion.**_

 _ **My first bunkmate said he was an atheist, but not the kind that profusely believed in science and hated God, the idea of God, and people that worshipped God. No, he was the kind of atheist that used to believe, but something happened in his life to where his faith died.**_

 _ **He told me that when he was younger, he watched as his parents argued and yelled with one another, before eventually splitting up in a hateful divorce. He told me that he lost his faith because he couldn't believe that God would just stand there and let that happen…he also told me that since he once believed in God, he also believed in Satan.**_

 _ **I told him that it wasn't God that let his parents fight and divorce, I told him it was the work of the Devil. He just shrugged, and we moved on with our evening, content with our beliefs.**_

 _ **My second bunkmate overheard our conversation, and he jumped in himself. He said that he wanted to believe, but he had doubts. The question he asked me was that if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and that he knows what we are going to do no matter what, do we truly have free will?**_

 _ **I did my damned hardest to answer to him, but for his expectations and standards, I came up short. Our debate ended up attracting half of our side of the berthing area, and they all went into their attempts at convincing my bunkmate that we had free will, but I could tell that he wasn't convinced with anyone's argument.**_

 _ **What I have to say about that, for anyone here asking that same question, is that it all comes down to what you will believe, and what you won't believe. I believe that, even in the face of an omniscient and omnipresent being, we have free will to do as we want, when we want, and how we want to do it. Of course, there are limits to what we can do. I'm not about to fly to the moon, and you probably aren't going to jump fifty feet in the air.**_

 _ **Also, just because we have free will, does not mean it's okay to kill a man. That's why we have laws to govern free will, so that we don't live in a society of anarchy and violence…all evidence to the contrary.**_

 _ **Now, you're probably asking is there a point to all this beyond telling us all how my vacation went, and the answer is yes.**_

 _ **Each fold of the American flag has a meaning to it. For those that already know this, you can skip it. For those that don't, please keep reading.**_

 _ **The first fold is symbolic of life, the second is symbolic of the belief in eternal life. The third is honor the veterans retiring from the military, and the fourth represents the weaker nature of humanity, and that it is in God that look to for guidance in times of peace and war. The fifth fold is made in tribute to our country, and the sixth is for our heart, the heart which we place our hand over during the Pledge of Allegiance to this country. The seventh fold is done in honor of our armed forces, and the eighth is made in the name of our mothers. The ninth fold is performed for womanhood, in the name of their faith and love and loyalty, and that it was in these things that the men and women of this country were molded by. As the eighth fold is made in the name of our mothers, the tenth is made in the name of our fathers. The eleventh and twelfth folds of the flag are done in the name of religion, with the eleventh representing the Hebrew God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelfth representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.**_

 _ **When the flag is completely folded, the white stars of purity stand proudly against the blue hope of the night sky, representing our country's motto:**_

In God We Trust

 _ **I find that to be a source of irony, honestly. In a country that allows for freedom of religion, no matter what, be it Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Muslim, Wicca, Satanism, atheism, scientology, etc., that the motto of this country revolves around trusting a single being.**_

 _ **I ask myself what it means to be an American, and I debate that if this country trusts in God, then part of being an American is believing and trusting in God, and those that do not, whether they are atheist or otherwise not a believer in God, cannot truly call themselves Americans.**_

 _ **However, the counter to that is that there's more to being an American than religious faith, or lack thereof.**_

 _ **During the conference, they had us fold a piece of paper a certain way, and cut it. When we unfolded it, we had made a perfect five-point star…assuming you folded everything correctly. On this star, they had us write down what we thought it meant to be a patriot. This is what I wrote:**_

Patriotism is adhering to the principles of the American Creed, believing that that government is created by the people, for the people, of the people, and all of us are a united people, be they gay, atheist, Christian, Muslim, Catholic, or Jewish, under God.

 _ **I believe that part of being an American is recognizing that this nation was founded on the principles of the Bible, and that our Founding Fathers put their faith in God. Before anyone grabs their torches and pitchforks, I want you to know that I am not condemning atheists and other pagan religions. I am merely stating my beliefs.**_

 _ **When I say the American Creed, this is what I mean:**_

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop my whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refused to barter incentive for a dole.

I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand, erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say—'This, with God's help, I have done.'

All this is what it means to be an American.

 _ **My favorite part of this is the very beginning, where it says that it is my right to be uncommon. I like to think that applies to every community of America, from religion to Furies, ABDL to LGBT, and beyond. If it's what you like, go ahead and do it.**_

 _ **One of our unalienable rights is the pursuit of happiness, so if it's reading a Bible, or Quran, or Torah that makes you happy, go for it. If it's dressing in a cartoon animal suit, more power to ya. If wearing a diaper brings just a bit more light to your life, wear a diaper. If being lesbian, gay, bi, or trans puts a smile on your face, then keep smiling.**_

 _ **Only, do everyone a favor, and pursue your happiness in private. There is no need to make people uncomfortable in public, no need to draw attention to yourself, and no need to end up on the news with a headline like**_ 'Gay couple murdered after kissing in public.' _**Although, if you feel the dire need to engage in exhibitionism, please, for the love of all that is sacred, have some tough skin.**_

 _ **No one wants to read on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or on the news about how insulted you got when you were dissed in public for wearing a Furry suit.**_

 _ **Now, far above these lines of texts that may or may not have been read, I told you there was a point to all this and then proceeded to launch into the Flag Folding Procedure. At the very end of the conference, just before we got our bags and loaded up the bus, we were given the Final Challenge, and that Challenge was to continue to lead off the ship, and lead in life.**_

 _ **On the way down to the bus, I felt a void inside me, this huge pit of emptiness. This pit was created by the ending of the conference. We just spent the past four days undergoing sleep deprivation followed by more learning and interaction than four weeks of school, learning about America, the government, patriotism, economics, and what the American flag truly meant…and now what are we supposed to do?**_

 _ **Start a blog about government corruption, lies, and secrets? Start a hometown organization about patriotism? Join the military and fight for the country? Become a politician, or lawyer? Just…what the fuck are we supposed to do, man? Sleeping in and blearily waking up in the morning just to spend the rest of the day on the couch or with a controller in hand definitely isn't the answer. So what is the answer?**_

 _ **My answer was over four thousand words.**_

 _ **I can see how many people look at my fics per update, and there's generally a few thousand people that read said update. I know that a few thousand is just a few drops in a country of several hundred million, but that's still a few thousand people that I've reached out to.**_

 _ **That's still a few thousand people who have read this, and have asked themselves their own questions, formed their own opinions, created their own ideals and beliefs. That's a few thousand people I've lead down a path that's made them think.**_

 _ **And that's good enough for me.**_

 _ **During the conference, I gave a few people my pen name so they could look me up. Whether they will or won't is in the hands of not me, but if they stop by, and they do read all of this and have gotten down to here, then I want to say to those people:**_

It was a blast, guys.

 _ **To close what it is probably the longest author's note ever written, this goes to everyone that has read this, no matter what walk of life they come from, no matter what they believe, no matter what they've done in life/plan to do in life, no matter about anything that makes them who they are:**_

Find for yourself what it means to be an American, and may God be with you always.


End file.
